World Championship final for Szymon Marciniak? A Pole became a world hero!

On the night from Monday to Tuesday (i.e. July 13-14), Polish time, FIFA announced what the refereeing line-up would look like during the Argentina-England semi-final. The main referee will be Ismail Elfath from the USA, as we reported in WPROST.

This means that the Polish team, headed by Szymon Marciniak, is still in the game for the 2026 World Cup final.

Szymon Marciniak to referee the World Cup final? A Pole is a hero of world media

Already at the beginning of the knockout phase, the Polish referee was indicated as a potential favorite (amongst the group) to officiate the most important matches of the ongoing World Cup. Marciniak’s name was mentioned, among others, by journalists from the French “L’Équipe”.

The French probably lost their favorite for this. Clement Turpin led the quarter-final between Norway and England (1:2), making a significant mistake when scoring a goal for the English team. Additionally, the Tricolors themselves are in the game, so if on Tuesday evening (i.e. July 14) the world runners-up secure a place in the final, the Frenchman will not officiate the final as a referee.

What about Marciniak? The argument “against” the Pole is the fact that no referee in the world has ever officiated two World Cup finals. This is what he claims, among others: former international referee Henrik Karlsson.

On the other hand, the former judge assumed that Elfath might be among the favorites, as he was practically eliminated from the competition, having been nominated for Wednesday’s (i.e. July 15) semi-final between the Argentines and the English.

The Polish cast, unlike most of the others, is still in the US. This is a good sign regarding the final decisions of the FIFA Referees’ Committee.

– Several referee teams left the World Cup, but Szymon Marciniak and his team remained in the USA. This is good news. Pierluigi Collina is a man who would not be afraid to make a historic decision and entrust the same referee with officiating the World Cup final for the second time in a row – admitted Adam Burek, TVP Sport expert.

Zbigniew Boniek also pointed out an important argument. The head of the FIFA Referees’ Committee, Pierlugi Collina, has a soft spot for the Polish referee. Whenever he used Marciniak’s services, he did not disappoint – in the most important moments.

– I won’t lie if I say that Pierluigi Collina is in love with Marciniak. He always said that if he had to entrust Marciniak with an important match, he felt confident about it. However, a few things would have to happen (…) I thought he would coach the match between France and Spain, and I think Szymon also thought so. It was a surprise for me (…) His chances of leading the final would have increased if Argentina had not been in the final. However, we have to wait for the results of the semi-finals – admitted Boniek for Meczyki.pl.

There are still two most important matches of the tournament left to be played. On Saturday (July 18) for 3rd place and the final, scheduled for Sunday (July 19). In the first case, it seems that FIFA will not choose a well-known referee, but will rather appreciate someone who performed exceptionally well – and is not an obvious name – at the 2026 World Cup.

Marciniak? The Pole may be left without the final and no match in the knockout phase. So far, the Polish referee has conducted two group matches, i.e. Argentina – Algeria and Egypt – Iran. However, it is difficult to assume that FIFA would treat a Polish referee in such a way.

After the semi-finals, everything will finally become clear.

World Cup 2026. Where and when to watch the greatest football World Cup in history?

From June 11 to July 19, the 23rd FIFA World Cup will be held on pitches in three countries – the United States, Mexico and Canada. An event that will certainly be unique, if only because of its format. For the first time in history, as many as 48 teams took part in the main tournament.

The title from four years ago is defended by the Argentines. During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Messi and company defeated the French in the final, winning after a series of penalties (4:2). In the history of football World Cups, Brazil has the most titles – as many as five. Four victories in the history of the World Championships belong to the Italians and Germans. The Argentines won three times. More than once, the trophy for winning the World Cup was raised – twice – by the players of France and Uruguay.

The Polish national team was third twice at the World Championships, but those were the old days – we are talking about the events in 1974 and 1982. At the last World Cup, Poles managed to advance to the knockout phase, but were eliminated in the 1/8 finals by the French (1:3).

Matches of the 2026 World Cup can only be watched on Polish Television – on TVP Sport, TVP 1 and TVP 2 and on tvpsport.pl. Additionally, broadcasts will be available in the TVP Sport mobile application and smart TV.