The World Cup is now into the knockout rounds and co-hosts USA are set to take on Bosnia-Herzegovina in the Round of 32.
USA have had a good tournament so far, winning their opening two games against Paraguay and Australia. A late defeat by Turkey in the final group game could not prevent them from finishing top of their group.
Bosnia-Herzegovina on the other hand qualified in third place from their group. They won their opening game with Qatar 3-1 before losing 4-1 to Switzerland. A 1-1 draw with Canada in their final game was enough for them to progress.
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The referee for USA vs Bosnia-Herzegovina
Kick-off is set for 5pm PT and 8pm ET (1am UK time) at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
FIFA have confirmed the eight officials who will take charge of the game, with Raphael Claus the main in the middle of it all.
The 46-year-old Brazilian has been on the FIFA list since 2015 and is held as one of South America’s top officials.
Claus refereed the 2024 Copa America final between Argentina and Colombia in 2024, and is a regular presence in the Copa Libertadores, where he once oversaw a semi-final between River Plate and Boca Juniors. Fiesty.
This will be Claus’ second game of this World Cup, having taken charge of Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia in the group stages. But he also refereed two games in the group stage of the 2022 edition: England’s 6-2 win over Iran – which featured a contentious late penalty for Iran – and Morocco’s 2-1 win over Canada.
Assisting Claus are not elves or reindeer, but simply two Brazilian linesmen in the shape of Danilo Manis and Rodrigo Figueiredo.
Argentina’s Dario Herrera will be in the dugout as the fourth official.
VAR: Juan Soto (Venezuela). Assistant VAR: Nicolas Gallo (Colombia).
VAR duties will be led by Venezuelan, Juan Soto. While Nicolas Gallo from Colombia is the assistant VAR
What’s the difference between assistant and support? The assistant helps makes decisions, the support coordinates communication and keeps an eye on the live feed while checks are ongoing. Dazzle your mates down the pub with that.