Letexier steps in for injured Oliver to referee Ivory Coast vs Ecuador at World Cup 2026

France’s François Letexier will referee the World Cup 2026 Group E opener between Ivory Coast and Ecuador at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Sunday, June 14, after Premier League official Michael Oliver withdrew from the assignment through injury.

FIFA confirmed Oliver’s withdrawal earlier this week, with his assistant referees also standing down as a result. The governing body indicated the Englishman remains in North America and is expected to be available for selection again “in the coming days”.

Letexier is no stranger to the biggest occasions. The 35-year-old became the youngest referee ever to officiate a European Championship final when he took charge of England’s defeat to Spain at Euro 2024, and his most recent competitive assignment was Aston Villa’s Europa League final victory over Freiburg.

The Ligue 1 official will be supported by assistants Cyril Mugnier and Mehdi Rahmouni. Khalid Al-Turais has been named fourth official, with Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Al-Bakry serving as reserve assistant referee.

Australian Jarred Gillett, another Premier League referee, will oversee VAR operations, joined in the booth by France’s Willy Delajod and Belgium’s Bram Van Driessche.

Both sides arrive with added motivation after witnessing Germany’s emphatic performance against Curaçao earlier in the day in the same group. Ecuador currently sit 24th in the FIFA World Rankings, nine places above Ivory Coast in 33rd, making this one of the more evenly matched Group E contests on paper.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7pm local time, midnight in the United Kingdom.