Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor will not referee the World Cup final. The Premier League officials have been ruled out after England and Argentina both reached the semi-finals, triggering FIFA rules that bar referees from officiating their home country or matches with direct consequences for it.
England beat Norway 2-1 in extra time on Sunday morning, while Lionel Messi’s Argentina defeated Switzerland 3-1, also in extra time. That set up a semi-final clash between the historic rivals, meaning Oliver and Taylor—the only two English referees at the tournament—can no longer take charge of any match in the competition.
“Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor are banned from the World Cup final due to England-Argentina semi and Falklands War”
FIFA’s regulations stipulate that a referee cannot officiate their home country. That rule alone would prevent the pair from being the man in the middle for England vs Argentina, or a potential England final. But even if Argentina lose and the winner of France vs Spain reaches the final, Oliver and Taylor are still barred. That is because of geopolitical factors: FIFA considers the 1982 Falklands War a politically sensitive issue, and an English referee cannot take charge of an Argentina match or any game with a direct next-game consequence for Argentina.
A FIFA spokesperson confirmed that the Falklands War is a factor when appointing referees. The Mirror reported in 2022 that Taylor and Oliver were denied the chance to referee the 2022 World Cup final for the same reason. The war was referenced by Argentina players when they sang a song called 'Muchachos' in the dressing room after their quarter-final win over Egypt.
Oliver had officiated four fixtures in the tournament: Netherlands vs Sweden, Norway vs France, Canada vs Morocco, and the quarter-final between Spain and Belgium. In that last game, he suffered an embarrassing moment as he accidentally impeded Dani Olmo during a Spain attack, after which he apologised and stopped the play.
Neither Oliver nor Taylor will play any further part in the World Cup, despite being initially considered for their performances.