Romanian referee handed honour of refereeing landmark match 1,000

FIFA has appointed Romanian referee István Kovács to take charge of the 1,000th match in the history of the FIFA World Cup, the Group F encounter between Tunisia and Japan at Monterrey Stadium on June 20.

Kovács will be assisted by compatriots Ferencz Tunyogi and Mihai Marica, with Costa Ricans Juan Calderón and Juan Carlos Mora serving as fourth official and reserve assistant referee, for one of the landmark fixtures in the tournament’s long and storied history.

FIFA Chief Refereeing Officer and Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee Pierluigi Collina said the appointment, while a special honour, was based purely on the regular criteria applied to pick the best official for the game.

“We selected the referee that we think is the best referee for this match. And of course, by coincidence, he is also appointed for the 1,000th match", said Collina.

"Refereeing a FIFA World Cup match is always a huge privilege; it’s a great honour,” said the Italian, a former referee who officiated the FIFA World Cup final between Brazil and Germany in 2002 during an illustrious career.

The referee will get a special match kit to celebrate the match, including stripes and a patch with the trophy and the number 1,000 to mark the moment. 

41-year-old Kovács established himself as one of Europe’s foremost referees. He was part of the match officials panel at FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 where he served as fourth official across eight fixtures.

His appointment to Match 1,000 at the FIFA World Cup 2026 marks his first match as a referee at a FIFA World Cup.