Why Michael Oliver could be blocked from refereeing World Cup final

Michael Oliver is one of the favourites to referee the World Cup final.

However, the Premier League official could be blocked from overseeing the showpiece clash.

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The 2026 World Cup final will take place at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday, July 19.

FIFA are yet to appoint a referee for the match with the tournament currently at the quarter-final stage.

Oliver will be involved during the last eight, with the 41-year-old named as the referee for Spain’s match against Belgium.

The all-European affair takes place on Friday in Los Angeles, with kick-off at 8pm live on talkSPORT.

If appointed as the referee for the World Cup final, Oliver would be the fourth English official to do so.

The last of those was Howard Webb, who was the man in the middle for Spain’s win over the Netherlands in 2010.

Why could Oliver be blocked from World Cup final?

Oliver could still be denied the opportunity of refereeing the final in less than two weeks’ time, though.

If either England or Argentina advance beyond the semi-finals, he will be blocked from officiating the match.

Referees are unable to take charge of fixtures involving their own country, with Ashington-born Oliver an FA referee.

However, he is also not permitted to referee Argentina due to previous political situations between the two countries, namely the Falklands War in 1982.

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England and Argentina could meet in the semi-finals on Wednesday, June 15 for a place in the final.

The Three Lions face Norway on Saturday at 10pm BST, with Argentina taking on Switzerland later on the same day.

If both sides advance to the last four, it will confirm Oliver cannot referee the final.

This summer’s tournament represents his second World Cup as a referee.

Oliver previously took charge of three matches in 2018, including Croatia’s quarter-final win over Brazil.

Meanwhile, he has already officiated three fixtures in North America, with the most recent being Canada vs Morocco in the last 16.

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However, Oliver previously had to be replaced as referee for the group stage clash between Ivory Coast and Ecuador due to injury.

He is one of two English referees at this summer’s finals alongside Anthony Taylor.

Oliver has previous final experience after overseeing the FA Cup final in both 2018 and 2021.

In addition, he was in charge of the 2016 League Cup final as well as the 2023 UEFA Super Cup.