Szymon Marciniak to referee Argentina vs Algeria as Messi begins World Cup 2026 campaign

Poland’s Szymon Marciniak will take charge of Argentina’s World Cup 2026 Group J opener against Algeria at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, giving the 45-year-old a remarkable third consecutive World Cup and a third assignment involving the reigning champions.

Marciniak is one of FIFA’s most experienced referees, having been on their list since 2011. He first oversaw an Argentina match at the 2018 tournament in Russia, where he refereed their group stage draw with Iceland. In Qatar four years later, he was in charge of their round of 16 victory over Australia before being handed the sport’s most prestigious refereeing appointment — the 2022 final, in which Argentina defeated France on penalties as Lionel Messi lifted the trophy.

The Kansas City assignment continues a pattern that has seen Marciniak become closely associated with Argentina’s World Cup journey. For Messi, widely expected to be making his final appearance at a World Cup, the familiar face in the middle may offer some comfort as the defence of the title begins.

Marciniak is equally prominent at club level. In four Champions League group stage matches in the 2025-26 season, he issued 12 yellow cards and awarded one penalty. Across his career in UEFA competition, he has refereed 78 matches in the Champions League and Europa League, sending off 18 players. He also took charge of the 2022-23 Champions League final in Istanbul, where Manchester City defeated Inter Milan.

Fellow Polish officials Tomasz Listkiewicz and Adam Kupsik will serve as Marciniak’s assistant referees, with New Zealand’s Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh named as fourth official. The VAR operation will be led by compatriot Tomasz Kwiatkowski.