Although the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) announced last Monday, May 4, the appointment of 52 referees88 assistants and 30 video officers for the 2026 World Cupkeeps in reserve the amount it will pay to the authorities from the six confederations and 50 associations that were selected.
According to the American television network Telemundothere are no public contracts or official figures, and FIFA has not revealed the amounts that referees will receive at the World Cup. In addition, the organization has not disclosed details of the process of selectionbased on the quality and regularity of the referees’ performance.
However, the former English referee Mark Clattenburgconsidered by experts to be one of the best-rated European referees of his generation, was interviewed by the team of Whistleblowersone of the most popular sports podcasts popular from the United Kingdom, focusing on the lesser-known details of sport and Premier League.
Faced with this scenario, the former English referee Mark Clattenburg, who directed the end of the UEFA Champions League of 2016 and the end of the Euro Cup 2016, he spoke with broadcaster Gordon Smart and journalist Ian Ladyman, to whom he revealed how much their colleagues in the 2026 World Cup and the possible figures for directing the end.
The figures for the World Cup referees
According to what was stated by Mark Clattenburg in the english podcast that addresses the intrigues in the referee’s room, those who reach the final phase of the 2026 World Cup could receive between US$65 thousand (Q495 thousand 244) and US$70 thousand (Q533,340) for all their participation, because FIFA’s payment scheme is staggered.
Referees receive an amount for each match they direct, which increases as the tournament progresses. In addition, a daily payment for each day spent in the World Cup is added to that amount. “The most successful referees earned around US$60 thousand (Q457,148) in 2022, and that includes refereeing the final,” he added.
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“If you compare it with what you pay in the game, it seems quite low. You get a little more in the final stages and in the last games,” said Mark Clattenburg, who put the numbers in perspective against the wages of the footballers and clarified that the payment per match directed in the last instances is the highest in the championship.
Likewise, Clattenburg mentioned that, as the 2026 World Cup will be the first in history with 48 selections participants, there will be 104 matches in total, which represents an unprecedented scale for world refereeing, given that more matches imply more referees called and a greater accumulation of income for the referees.
A World Cup without Guatemalans
Guatemala He will not have representation in the refereeing of the 2026 World Cup, since the Guatemalan does not appear on the official list of referees for the tournament. Mario Escobarwho aimed to be the only representative of the country in the World Cup event due to his participation as central referee in the World Cup Taste of the 2022.
Before Escobar, Guatemala had referees such as Rómulo Méndez, in Spain 1982 and Mexico 1986; Carlos Batres, in Korea-Japan 2002 and South Africa 2010; and Walter López, who participated as fourth referee in Brazil 2014. Therefore, the exclusion of the 2026 World Cup breaks that continuity and leaves the country without referee representation in the tournament.