Who Is the Referee In Uruguay vs Saudi Arabia World Cup Match?

Saudi Arabia and Uruguay begin their 2026 FIFA World Cup Group H campaign in Miami alongside Spain and Cabo Verde.

Cabo Verde's surprise draw against Spain has made the group even more interesting, meaning both Uruguay and Saudi Arabia understand they cannot afford to drop points early in the campaign.

Two-time world champions Uruguay will enter the match as favourites, but the opening games of the tournament have already shown that every team at the World Cup is capable of causing problems no matter which opponent.

There were some impressive results during qualifying for Marcelo Bielsa's squad. This included wins over Colombia and Brazil, but a 5-1 defeat to the United States last November raised some concerns.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia are playing in their seventh World Cup and third in a row. At the 2022 World Cup, they produced one of the tournament's biggest surprises by defeating eventual champions Argentina. Unfortunately the Green Falcons were not able to move past the Group stage despite the win.

Referee and Officials for Uruguay vs Saudi Arabia

The match will be officiated by Italian referee Maurizio Mariani, with his compatriots Daniele Bindoni and Alberto Tegoni as assistant referees. The fourth official will be Drew Fischer, while Michael Barwegen, both from Canada, will serve as reserve assistant referee.

Mariani is an Italian football referee who has officiated 289 matches throughout his career.

The 44-year-old most recently refereed the 2026 UEFA Conference League final between Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano.

During the 2025/2026 season, he officiated in 15 Serie A and 8 UEFA Champions League fixtures including the quarter-final between Liverpool and PSG.

Notably, in a tribute to Miami, Mariani and his officiating team will wear flamingo pink kits during the match.

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This story was originally published June 15, 2026 at 2:45 PM.