Familiar referee returns for Korea's World Cup match against South Africa
Facundo Tello, who oversaw Korea’s 2022 World Cup victory over Portugal, will officiate Wednesday’s match against South Africa in Monterrey.
An announcement of match officials for a FIFA World Cup 2026 match between Korea and South Africa
FIFA
MONTERREY, Mexico — Déjà vu of a familiar whistle on the World Cup pitch for Korea? Or perhaps a good omen is coming for the Taeguk Warriors after four years.
Facundo Tello, the referee who officiated a World Cup match between Korea and Portugal during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, will oversee the upcoming match between Korea and South Africa at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Monterrey Stadium in Monterrey, Mexico, per the list of match officials FIFA released Monday.
In the 2022 FIFA World Cup match against Portugal in Al Rayyan, Qatar, Korea snatched a 2-1 victory at the third and final Group H match. In that match, Korea came from behind to defeat Portugal with goals from Kim Young-gwon and Hwang Hee-chan. The result helped Korea advance to the Round of 16 for the first time in 12 years.
Yet, Lee Kang-in and Hwang received yellow cards in the same match.
Tello, a 44-year-old Argentine, is also known among soccer buffs as having sent off a whopping 10 players in the Argentine domestic cup competition, Trofeo de Campeones, which took place shortly before the 2022 World Cup.
Tello has been on Argentina’s Primera División since 2013. He became a FIFA international referee in 2019.
At the FIFA World Cup 2026, Tello previously officiated the Group B match between Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 13, during which three yellow cards were shown to Bosnian players and two to Canadians.
Stuck at work or school when Korea kicks off? We've got you covered. The Korea JoongAng Daily is live-blogging every Korea match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, around the clock. Don't miss a moment.
BY PIH JU-YOUNG [[email protected]]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
