Alireza Faghani: Iran called him a traitor. He’s refereeing their World Cup
Alireza Faghani left Tehran, moved to Brisbane, shook hands with Trump, and was called a traitor. He is now refereeing his fourth World Cup. Iran is watching from a hotel in Tijuana.
Somewhere in Qom, south of Tehran, there is a poster of Alireza Faghani standing with Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino, all three of them giving a thumbs-up after last year’s Club World Cup final. In the original photograph, Faghani is wearing a medal. In the poster, the medal has been replaced with a potato. The caption reads: “Congratulations on your medal, traitor.”
On Tuesday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey — the same venue as that Club World Cup final — Faghani took charge of France vs Senegal. He denied Kylian Mbappé a penalty after consulting the pitchside monitor, awarded a goal-kick, and France won 3-1. Routine, for a referee officiating his fourth consecutive World Cup, a record no one else holds.
Nothing else about his presence here is routine.
Faghani was born in Kashmar, Iran, the son of a referee. He had a short-lived playing career before picking up the whistle himself in 1994. He became a FIFA referee in 2008 and built a career that took him to four AFC Asian Cups, the 2016 Olympic final, the 2018 World Cup, the 2022 World Cup. In 2019, he moved to Brisbane with his family.
“When I spoke with some friends living in Australia, I felt that living there would suit my family situation better,” he told SBS Persian. “There is a system in place here. Personal views don’t influence the system.”
He did not elaborate on what he meant by personal views. But in 2022, the Islamic Republic of Iran Football Federation removed him from their international referees list. The delisting, according to IranWire and multiple reports, came in retaliation for his support of the Mahsa Amini protests. He began representing Australia as an international referee in 2023. The switch was bureaucratic. The reasons were not.
Then came the Club World Cup final. Trump descended to the pitch for the presentation ceremony. Faghani shook his hand. They posed together, thumbs up, smiling. “A final is never just another match. Grateful for the opportunity to be part of football history once again,” he wrote on Instagram.
Iranian state television commentators did not use his name during the broadcast, and the presentation ceremony was cut short on Iranian state television, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. Qom erected the poster.
IranWire noted the paradox this week: “Few Iranians worldwide view Faghani as an ‘Australian’ referee at the 2026 World Cup; to the public, he remains entirely their own.” Iran officially disowned him. Iran claimed him anyway.
This World Cup, Iran trained in Tijuana because US visas arrived only the day before their first match. The federation president was denied entry. Fans’ ticket allocations were revoked. Iran crossed the border for each game and returned to Mexico the same night.
He was already here.
“I am 48 years old,” he told FIFA before the tournament. “I am trying to enjoy every single moment of it.”
Somewhere in Qom, south of Tehran, there is a poster of Alireza Faghani standing with Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino, all three of them giving a thumbs-up after last year’s Club World Cup final. In the original photograph, Faghani is wearing a medal. In the poster, the medal has been replaced with a potato. The caption reads: “Congratulations on your medal, traitor.”
On Tuesday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey — the same venue as that Club World Cup final — Faghani took charge of France vs Senegal. He denied Kylian Mbappé a penalty after consulting the pitchside monitor, awarded a goal-kick, and France won 3-1. Routine, for a referee officiating his fourth consecutive World Cup, a record no one else holds.
Nothing else about his presence here is routine.
Faghani was born in Kashmar, Iran, the son of a referee. He had a short-lived playing career before picking up the whistle himself in 1994. He became a FIFA referee in 2008 and built a career that took him to four AFC Asian Cups, the 2016 Olympic final, the 2018 World Cup, the 2022 World Cup. In 2019, he moved to Brisbane with his family.
“When I spoke with some friends living in Australia, I felt that living there would suit my family situation better,” he told SBS Persian. “There is a system in place here. Personal views don’t influence the system.”
He did not elaborate on what he meant by personal views. But in 2022, the Islamic Republic of Iran Football Federation removed him from their international referees list. The delisting, according to IranWire and multiple reports, came in retaliation for his support of the Mahsa Amini protests. He began representing Australia as an international referee in 2023. The switch was bureaucratic. The reasons were not.
Then came the Club World Cup final. Trump descended to the pitch for the presentation ceremony. Faghani shook his hand. They posed together, thumbs up, smiling. “A final is never just another match. Grateful for the opportunity to be part of football history once again,” he wrote on Instagram.
Iranian state television commentators did not use his name during the broadcast, and the presentation ceremony was cut short on Iranian state television, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. Qom erected the poster.
IranWire noted the paradox this week: “Few Iranians worldwide view Faghani as an ‘Australian’ referee at the 2026 World Cup; to the public, he remains entirely their own.” Iran officially disowned him. Iran claimed him anyway.
This World Cup, Iran trained in Tijuana because US visas arrived only the day before their first match. The federation president was denied entry. Fans’ ticket allocations were revoked. Iran crossed the border for each game and returned to Mexico the same night.
He was already here.
“I am 48 years old,” he told FIFA before the tournament. “I am trying to enjoy every single moment of it.”
