Qatari referee appointed to FIFA World Cup 2026 final officiating team

Doha: Qatari referee Khamis Al Marri will be part of the officiating team for Sunday's FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and Spain, after being appointed as support video assistant referee (support VAR) for the showpiece at New York New Jersey Stadium.

Al Marri will work alongside Germany's Bastian Dankert, who has been named the video assistant referee, and Colombian Nicolás Gallo, who will serve as assistant VAR, giving Qatar representation in one of football's biggest occasions.

On the field, Slovenian Slavko Vincic will referee the World Cup final, becoming the first official from Slovenia to take charge of the tournament's biggest match. bettingx.club

The 46-year-old, who has previously officiated the UEFA Champions League final and UEFA EURO 2024 semi-final between France and Spain, said the appointment was an "incredible honour" and a dream come true.

Vincic will be assisted by fellow Slovenians Tomaz Klančnik and Andraz Kovacic, while Jordan's Adham Makhadmeh has been named fourth official and compatriot Mohammad Al-Kalaf reserve assistant referee.

FIFA said the appointments were based primarily on performances throughout the tournament, with the officials selected to oversee the final after consistently impressive displays across the competition.

Pyramids FC have appointed South African coach Rulani Mokwena as their new head coach, as Krunoslav Jurcic ends his tenure in Cairo.

Mokwena will take charge for the 2026/27 season after a brief spell with Libyan club Al Ittihad Tripoli. The 39-year-old signed a one-year contract with an option for a one-season extension.

Pyramids had tracked Mokwena for two years before completing the appointment, according to reports.

Mokwena previously managed Mamelodi Sundowns, Wydad Casablanca, and MC Alger. He won successive South African league titles and the 2023 African Football League with Sundowns.

The South African also guided MC Alger to the Algerian Super Cup. He left the club in March while they led the domestic league.

Pyramids thanked Jurcic and his staff following the end of their contracts. The Croatian coach joined the club in February 2024.

Jurcic managed the Cairo side in 132 matches across all competitions. He recorded 89 wins, 25 draws, and 18 defeats during his tenure.

His first trophy came in the 2023/24 Egypt Cup after Pyramids defeated ZED 1-0 to secure the first major title in their history.

The Croatian then led Pyramids to their maiden CAF Champions League crown in June 2025. His side beat Mamelodi Sundowns 3-2 on aggregate in the final, becoming Egypt’s fourth African champion.

Pyramids later added the CAF Super Cup and FIFA African-Asian-Pacific Cup. They beat Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli 3-1 to win the latter competition.

Jurcic completed his five-trophy spell with another Egypt Cup in May. Pyramids defeated ZED 2-1 in the final to lift the trophy for a second time.

The post OFFICIAL: Pyramids Appoint Rulani Mokwena After Jurcic Exit appeared first on KingFut.

أعلنت مؤسسة دوري نجوم قطر جدول مباريات القسم الأول من دوري نجوم بنك الدوحة للموسم الكروي 2026-2027، وذلك ضمن استعداداتها المستمرة لانطلاق الموسم الجديد.

وتنطلق منافسات الدوري يوم 20 أغسطس 2026، بعدما تم اعتماد مواعيد وأوقات مباريات الأسابيع الثلاثة الأولى.

وأوضحت المؤسسة أنه سيتم تحديث جدول المباريات من الأسبوع الرابع وحتى الأسبوع الحادي عشر، بعد صدور البرنامج النهائي للمشاركات الخارجية للأندية، وبرنامج مباريات المنتخب الوطني.

وتواصل المؤسسة التنسيق مع الأندية المشاركة في البطولات القارية والإقليمية، بما يضمن مواءمة جدول الدوري مع مشاركاتها الخارجية.

وأشارت المؤسسة إلى أنه سيتم الإعلان عن جدول مباريات القسم الثاني في وقت لاحق، بعد اعتماد البرنامج النهائي لمباريات المنتخب الوطني.

East Rutherford, United States: Spain and Argentina prepared to do battle in Sunday's World Cup final in New Jersey as organisers said they were keeping a close eye on smoke from wildfires in Canada.

Lionel Messi's Argentina are bidding to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back World Cups, while Spain are trying to win a second title after their maiden victory in 2010.

Organisers said they were "monitoring closely" the smoke that has choked skies over large areas of the United States.

"There's been discussion about it, and we have somebody with the National Weather Service that sits in FIFA headquarters there, so we're monitoring closely,"

Andrew Giuliani, White House World Cup task force executive director, told a briefing.

US President Donald Trump will be among a crowd of over 80,000 spectators as the largest World Cup in history reaches its climax in the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

It will be the only game of the tournament that Trump has attended.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she would also attend the final after an invitation from the American president.

Trump on Friday hailed the World Cup, also played in Mexico and Canada, as "the most successful sporting event perhaps in the history of the world" as he held a reception in New York with FIFA chief Gianni Infantino.

Spain captain Rodri said he was bracing for a "physical" battle with Argentina and would aim to ignore any possible "provocations".

Rodri, the 2024 Ballon D'Or winner, said he expected the final to be unlike any other game the European champions had faced.

"I think Sunday's match will be quite different," the Manchester City star told reporters.

"It will be a more physical one, and we must be prepared. But I believe that if we are known for something in this national team, it is that we know how to play different games based on the moment.

"So we can adapt to having to defend, counter-attacking, to attacking. We are a very complete team, and that is why we are here."

When asked if he expected Argentina to resort to "provocative" tactics, Rodri replied: "Well, that's a part of football."

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni urged fans to make the most of seeing Messi lead out his team in another World Cup final at the age of 39.

"He has made history. He is a legend," Scaloni said of the former Barcelona player, who helped Argentina to win the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.

For Argentinian goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez said he gets emotional when he reflects on the collective efforts that have gone into their success.

"Honestly sometimes I cry to myself thinking about what we have achieved," he said.

"My message to my teammates is that they should enjoy this moment, prepare with a smile on our faces.

"This is something we will remember forever."

England arrived in Miami to play France on Saturday in the meeting of the beaten semi-finalists to determine who finishes third.

England coach Thomas Tuchel admitted that their 2-1 defeat to Argentina in the semi-final had been painful.

"We have to live with this, so it's our pain, my pain and the players' pain -- we feel the most pain of all," Tuchel said at a press conference.

"And it is our scar that we carry now. It is a very painful defeat, and we have to live with this defeat."

France coach Didier Deschamps vowed that no tears would be shed as he prepares to take charge of his final World Cup match, having guided them to glory in the 2018 edition and taken them to the final in 2022.

"I know that the final curtain falls tomorrow," Deschamps said on Friday.

"No one here is going to cry, but I know I'll miss the French team. For 15 years (he was appointed in 2012), I had the privilege of experiencing moments that were magical, and others that were difficult."

New York, USA: Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez said he wants his teammates to take the spotlight ahead of Sunday's World Cup final against Spain, playing down his own role in the team's bid for back-to-back titles.

"I don't want to be making the headlines," the 33-year-old told reporters on Friday. "I want my teammates and the manager to trust me. That's more important to me than making the headlines. I want my teammates to be the stars. Goalkeepers are the only ones who don't need to score goals. They don't have to be the protagonist. But if they need me, I will be there to help them, and if not, I will celebrate exactly the same way."

Martinez has played through pain for much of the tournament after fracturing a bone in the ring finger of his right hand while warming up for Aston Villa ahead of the club's UEFA Europa League final win over Freiburg on May 20. He returned to training with Argentina's squad in Kansas City on June 12, days before the team's tournament opener against Algeria.

"It still hurts," he said. "I knew it was going to hurt, I tried to avoid surgery. I consulted a great number of hand specialists in England, the United States and other countries. They said I'd have to undergo surgery. They told me I couldn't even train. After the Egypt game [in the round of 16] I could start training normally, and now I feel much better."

Martinez said he had drawn on the experience of Argentina's 2022 World Cup triumph over France on penalties to stay composed under pressure this time.

"In that final we were totally superior to France for 90 minutes," he said. "But I let in three goals [in the 120 minutes], and when that happens you are usually out of the tournament. I can concede goals, but in the next play I am the same player as always. I try not to let the pressure get to me."

The former Arsenal player said he felt at ease heading into the clash against the reigning European champion.

"To be honest, I feel really calm. It's my second time," he said. "Many people think good goalkeepers need to make great saves. It goes beyond that. It's your positioning, moving your line higher, being composed. My teammates are so good on the ball that they see calmness and safety when they look back, so that they can go forward with confidence."

On Sunday's opponents, Martinez said Spain's threat went beyond teenage forward Lamine Yamal.

"Spain has a great team. I know many of them, because many play in the Premier League," he said. "It's not just Lamine. They have players who work for the team. They are in the final for a reason. They have their strengths, but so do we. I hope it's a final that goes down in history for the fans."