History-making Honduran referee Said Martinez to oversee Qatar vs Switzerland at World Cup 2026

Said Martinez will make history at the 2026 FIFA World Cup when he referees Qatar against Switzerland in their Group B opener at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, becoming the first Honduran-born official ever to take charge of a World Cup fixture.

At just 34 years old, Martinez is one of the younger officials on the global stage, yet his résumé is already substantial. He picked up a whistle at 18, driven by a desire to follow in his father’s footsteps, and quickly became the youngest referee ever to officiate in the Honduran top division. His career highlights include Nations League assignments and the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup final between Mexico and the United States.

Martinez is known in refereeing circles by the nickname “El Matematico” — earned after he briefly stepped away from the game to study mathematics before returning to officiating. The numbers he has accumulated since are striking: across 310 career matches he averages 4.22 yellow cards per game and has shown 106 red cards in total, a record that marks him as one of the more card-prone officials in the CONCACAF and South American regions.

Qatar, who hosted the 2022 World Cup, are back on the global stage as a participating nation this summer. Switzerland represent a stern test in Group B, making the appointment of an experienced, if history-making, referee all the more significant.

Martinez will be supported by fellow Hondurans Walter Lopez and Christian Ramirez as his assistant referees. Jamaica’s Oshane Nation takes the role of fourth official, while Argentina’s Mauro Vigliano will oversee VAR for the match.