Facundo Tello to referee France vs Morocco quarter-final at 2026 World Cup

Argentinian referee Facundo Tello has been appointed to officiate the France vs Morocco quarter-final at the 2026 World Cup, a rematch that closely echoes their 2022 semi-final, which France won 2-0.

Tello will be assisted by fellow Argentinians Juan Pablo Belatti and Gabriel Chade as assistant referees, with Dario Herrera serving as fourth official and Cristian Navarro as reserve assistant referee.

The appointment carries a notable subplot: Tello was also the referee for Morocco’s 2022 quarter-final victory over Portugal, a match in which he issued five bookings and one red card. His disciplinary record on the World Cup stage is otherwise restrained, with an average of just 3.2 bookings per match across five tournament appearances — considerably lower than his average of 5.7 bookings per fixture in Argentina’s Liga Profesional de Fútbol, where he officiates most of his club football.

Perhaps most strikingly, Tello has never awarded a penalty kick in any of his five World Cup matches.

Both sides arrive at the quarter-final in contrasting form. Morocco advanced from the Round of 16 with a commanding 3-0 victory over Canada, while France edged past Paraguay 1-0 in their preceding match.

For France, the incentive is a third successive World Cup final. Didier Deschamps’ side won the tournament in 2018 before losing to Argentina in the 2022 final. Morocco, meanwhile, are chasing a second consecutive semi-final appearance — a feat that would further cement their status as the most successful African nation in World Cup history, having reached the last four in Qatar three years ago.