Football Victoria (FV) is incredibly proud to confirm that George Lakrindis and Shaun Evans have been selected as match officials for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup.
The two Victorian referees will join Alireza Faghani and Andrew Lindsay as the four Australian representatives in the FIFA World Cup match officials’ team.
Since beginning his career as a referee in 2000, Lakrindis has officiated in some of the biggest matches in Australia and abroad of the past quarter century. The Tokyo Olympics Final in 2020, the AFC Cup Final in 2022 and the 2021 Asian Champions League Semi Final to name a few.
With over 20-years of experience, Evans is one of the most respected referees in Australia. The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be Evans’ second appearance at the sport’s biggest tournament, after being selected as a Video Match Referee in 2022. Evans was named the FV Development Referee of the Year in 2007, FV Referee of the Year in 2010 and the Football Australia referee of the year in 2018-19.
Evans will reprise his role as a Video Match Referee at the 2026 tournament while Lakrindis has been appointed the role of Assistant Referee.
Football Victoria would also like to congratulate Faghani and Lindsay who have been selected as Referee and Assistant Referee respectively.
The 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup will be played across Canada, Mexico and the United States of America this June and July.
FV is currently recruiting Referees in advance of the 2026 community football season. If you would like to find out more about enrolling onto a Referee Course, please visit the FV website.