World Cup 2026: Michael Oliver appointed referee for Norway-France clash

English referee Michael Oliver has been selected by FIFA to officiate the decisive World Cup 2026 Group I encounter between Norway and France on Friday in Boston.

The 41-year-old official was among the referees announced by FIFA for the final round of group-stage matches at the tournament.

Oliver will oversee the meeting between the two nations at Gillette Stadium, with both teams preparing for an important fixture in their World Cup campaigns.

Oliver arrives at the match after already taking charge of another World Cup fixture in this edition of the tournament, having refereed the Netherlands-Sweden match which ended in a 5-1 victory for the Dutch side on June 20.

This will be the fifth World Cup match of his career, including three appearances during the 2022 tournament. However, despite his experience at international level, Oliver has never previously refereed a World Cup match involving either Norway or France.

The English referee has only taken charge of two previous matches involving Norway. His first came in 2019, when the Scandinavian side drew 1-1 against Spain, while the second was in 2024 during Norway’s 4-1 victory over Slovenia.

France, meanwhile, have crossed paths with Oliver on four occasions. The referee has officiated matches involving Les Bleus at major competitions including Euro 2021, Euro 2024 and the 2025 Nations League.

One of those meetings was a memorable encounter against Spain, while another saw France suffer a 5-4 defeat in Stuttgart during a high-scoring match.

Oliver will now prepare to handle a meeting between two teams with different histories and ambitions at the World Cup.

His appointment adds another experienced figure to the tournament’s refereeing team as FIFA continues its selection of officials for the final group-stage fixtures.

The full officiating team for Norway-France will be responsible for managing what is expected to be a highly competitive encounter, with both sides looking to finish the group stage strongly.