Latin American Referees Take Center Stage at 2025 Club World Cup

FIFA released on Monday the full list of referees selected for the 2025 Club World Cup, set to take place in the United States from June 14 to July 13. According to ge.globo, the officiating crew will include 35 referees from 33 different nations, with Latin America enjoying strong representation across the board.

Brazil will have two officials in the tournament: Wilton Pereira Sampaio (Goiás) and Ramon Abatti Abel (Santa Catarina). Argentina will also send two referees, Facundo Tello and Yael Falcón Pérez, while Uruguay's Gustavo Tejera, Chile’s Cristian Garay, Venezuela’s Jesús Valenzuela, and Paraguay’s Juan Gabriel Benítez have also been named to the roster. Per Versus, Benítez will be joined by assistant referees Milciades Cardozo and Eduardo Saldivar.

Other Latin American referees on the list include Said Martínez (Honduras), Mario Ortiz (Guatemala), Ivan Barton (El Salvador), and César Ramos (Mexico), reinforcing the region’s growing influence in top-tier international tournaments.

With a total of 63 matches to be played in this expanded 32-team format, the presence of so many Latin American officials reflects FIFA’s trust in their quality and consistency. The tournament will also feature six clubs from South America: Palmeiras, Flamengo, Fluminense, Botafogo, River Plate, and Boca Juniors.