Referee of Argentina-France World Cup classic to take charge of Argentina opener

Remember Szymon Marciniak? The bald-headed Polish referee who officiated the thrilling FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and France three and a half years ago at the Lusail Stadium.

FIFA has once again appointed Marciniak to take charge of Argentina's opening Group J fixture of the 2026 FIFA World Cup against Algeria in Kansas City on Wednesday morning.

The 45-year-old is widely regarded as one of the finest referees in world football. Marciniak was handed the enormous responsibility of officiating the 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France, where he made a series of impressive decisions without having to rely heavily on VAR.

Most notably, the Pole correctly identified a dive by Marcus Thuram at a moment when millions watching around the globe initially believed a foul had been committed. In the end-to-end encounter, Marciniak showed seven yellow cards in what is widely considered one of the greatest World Cup finals of all time.

Argentina eventually secured their third World Cup title after defeating France in a penalty shootout following a dramatic 3-3 draw after extra time.

Marciniak has also officiated two other World Cup matches involving Argentina. In 2018, he took charge of Argentina's group-stage match against Iceland in Moscow, which ended 1-1. On that occasion, Lionel Messi missed a penalty, while the referee did not issue a single card.

The second Argentina match he officiated at a World Cup was the Round of 16 clash against Australia in Al Rayyan during the 2022 tournament. Argentina won 2-1, and Marciniak showed two yellow cards.

Marciniak, who became a FIFA-listed referee in 2011, also oversaw the 2023 UEFA Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan. The high-profile contest flowed smoothly and passed without major controversy. He was also appointed fourth official for the UEFA EURO 2024 final between Spain and England.

The Płock-born official was named World's Best Referee in 2022 by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS).

With Argentina eager to make a strong start in a bid of title defense and Algeria hoping to spring an early surprise, the Group J encounter is expected to draw significant attention from football fans around the world.