Istvan Kovacs named referee for Tunisia vs Japan at Club World Cup

Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs has been appointed to officiate the Club World Cup Group F match between Tunisia and Japan at Estadio BBVA in Guadalupe.

Kovacs, 41, has been a FIFA-listed referee since 2010 and earned UEFA elite referee status in 2019. His most prominent recent appointment came in the 2025 Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan, widely regarded as the peak of his officiating career to date.

His experience at the highest level of European football stretches back several years. He took charge of the 2022 Champions League semi-final between Manchester City and Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium, and also refereed the inaugural Conference League final between Roma and Feyenoord that same year.

Despite his extensive CV, Kovacs was not selected to lead a match at the 2022 World Cup, serving instead as a fourth official across eight games during that tournament. He was again on the sidelines — as fourth official — for the 2023 Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan.

Two fellow Romanians will run the lines alongside him: Mihai Marius Marica and Ferencz Tunyogi. Juan Gabriel Calderon serves as fourth official, with Juan Carlos Mora on standby.

Swiss official Fedayi San has been appointed as the main video assistant referee. San works primarily in the Swiss Super League and has been registered as a VAR official since 2015. He is supported by American assistant VAR Joe Dickerson and German support video assistant referee Bastian Dankert.

The match carries significant weight in Group F. Tunisia have yet to earn a point in the competition, while Japan are also seeking their first win after drawing their opening game against the Netherlands.