Best Referee in the World | Currently Ranked

Being the best referee in the world is not an easy thing, considering their task of controlling 22 players on the pitch alongside keeping an eye on the team officials on the bench. Officials, both working on and off the field, are responsible for maintaining unbiasedness while also ensuring a fair atmosphere on the field, enhancing the beauty of the game of football. If we look at the best referees in the world across generations, most of them have maintained a strict character while officiating matches. To follow every detail with naked eyes might not be easy for the on-field referees, but along with video assistants and support staff, the best football officials in the world have always set an example of sheer discipline. On days of competitive fixtures, these individuals have to be at their ultimate best in terms of observation and attentiveness, making sure the match progresses smoothly. In this article, we will have a thorough run-down on the best football referees in the world:

Top 10 Best Football Referee in World

Here we have compiled a list comprising the best football referees in the world. While most of them are from Europe, a few from America make the list too. Unfortunately, no Asian referee has matched our criteria for the best referee in the world.

Rank	Referee	Nationality	Total Matches	IFFHS Awards	Elite Finals
10.	Wilton Sampaio	Brazil	225	N/A	England vs France (FIFA World Cup 2022 Quarter-finals)
9.	Raphael Claus	Brazil	234	N/A	Argentina vs Colombia (Copa America 2024 Final)
8.	Anthony Taylor	England	506	N/A	Spain vs France (UEFA Nations League 2021 Final)
7.	Szymon Marciniak	Poland	103	2022, 2023	Argentina vs France (FIFA World Cup 2022 Final) Manchester City vs Inter Milan (UEFA Champions League 2023 Final)
6.	Felix Zwayer	Germany	389	N/A	Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United (UEFA Europa League 2025 Final)
5.	Michael Oliver	England	500	N/A	Chelsea vs Leicester City (FA Cup 2021 Final)
4.	Clement Turpin	France	401	N/A	Liverpool vs Real Madrid (UEFA Champions League 2022 Final) Manchester City vs Chelsea (UEFA Champions League 2021 Final)
3.	Danny Makkelie	The Netherlands	384	N/A	France vs Croatia (FIFA World Cup 2018 Final) – VAR
2.	Slavko Vincic	Slovenia	90	N/A	Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid (UEFA Champions League 2024 Final)
1.	Francois Letexier	France	229	2024	Spain vs England (Euro Cup 2024 Final)

How We Ranked The Best Soccer Referee in World

We have listed below the criteria taken into consideration for decoding who is the best soccer referee in the world. The criteria are split into various factors, like the IFFHS awards, and how many high-profile finals they have officiated, being a few.

IFFHS World’s Best Referee Awards	Elite Match Appointments	Average Match Ranting	Major International Finals Officiated
30%	25%	25%	20%

Best Referee in the World – Detailed Profiles

10. Wilton Sampaio – Brazil

43-year-old Wilton Sampaio started as a professional referee when he was just 15. Initially, he was considered too short by Armando Marques, the then-Brazilian referee chief. However, after Marques left in 2005, Sampaio was given the chance to officiate more high-profile games. In 2012, he was chosen as one of the best referees in Serie A (Brazil’s top tier), and in 2018, he was a part of the VAR panel in the FIFA World Cup in Russia. Finally, he got a chance to officiate at the quadrennial event, when it was hosted in Qatar in 2022, and was in charge of four games, two group stage fixtures and two knockout clashes. The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) considers him one of the best referee in the world among the current set.

Total Matches	Notable Matches
225	England vs France (FIFA World Cup 2022 Quarter-finals)

9. Raphael Claus – Brazil

Claus, a 45-year-old referee from Santa Barbara d’Oeste, has been in the thick of things for quite a long time now and is considered the best football official in Brazil. Currently referred to as one of the best referees not only in the world, but also in Brazil, he became a part of the FIFA panel back in 2015 and has officiated many high-octane fixtures, with one of them being the 2024 Copa America final. He was also in charge of a few matches in the FIFA World Cup 2022.

Total Matches	Notable Matches
234	Argentina vs Colombia (Copa America 2024 Final)

8. Anthony Taylor – England

Hailing from Wythenshawe in Manchester, Taylor started his professional journey as a referee in 2002. However, it was only in 2010 that he started officiating in the Premier League, the English top-flight competition, with his first match being played between Fulham and Portsmouth. He has been a part of the FIFA panel since 2015 and has been in charge of numerous final fixtures, with the most notable being the 2021 UEFA Nations League final. In 2022, he was among the six English referees who represented their country in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. 

Total Matches	Notable Matches
506	Spain vs France (UEFA Nations League 2021 Final)

7. Szymon Marciniak – Poland

One of the best referee in the world, Marciniak is held in high regard in the football world. He started professionally in 2006 and since 2009 has been a regular in handling high-octane clashes in the Polish top-tier. Moreover, he had been handed the responsibility of officiating the FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and France in 2022, and also the UEFA Champions League final in 2023 between Manchester City and Inter Milan. The IFFHS has labelled him ‘The World’s Best Referee’ on two consecutive occasions in 2022 and 2023. Oh yes, he was also a footballer in his youth, representing the Polish side Wisla Plock’s junior side.

Total Matches	Notable Matches
103	Argentina vs France (FIFA World Cup 2022 Final) Manchester City vs Inter Milan (UEFA Champions League 2023 Final)

6. Felix Zwayer – Germany

Hailing from Berlin, Zwayer started working at the DFB level in 2004 and three years later got the chance to work in the German second tier. He has been in the FIFA panel since 2012; however, throughout his career, he has been involved in various controversies, with the most notable incident being the 2005 match-fixing scandal, which involved referee Robert Hoyzer. Zwayer assisted him in the game and reportedly received a bribe too. In 2018, he was part of the VAR team at the FIFA World Cup, and recently he officiated the UEFA Europa League final between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, which the former won 1-0. 

Total Matches	Notable Matches
389	Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United (UEFA Europa League 2025 Final)

ALSO READ: Top 10 Best Coach in the World of Football (2025)

5. Michael Oliver – England

Michael Oliver was introduced to the profession by his father when he was 14, and gradually made it to the National List of Referees in 2007. The very same year, he officiated the Conference National play-off final, becoming the youngest referee to officiate at the Wembley Stadium. Ever since receiving his FIFA badge in 2012, he has officiated numerous high-voltage fixtures, including the FA Cup final between Chelsea and Leicester City in 2021 and the UEFA Super Cup in 2022 between Eintracht Frankfurt and Real Madrid. Moreover, since he is considered among the best football referee in the world, he was also among the six English match officials at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and also refereed in the Saudi Pro League clash between Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr in 2023. 

Total Matches	Notable Matches
500	Chelsea vs Leicester City (FA Cup 2021 Final)

4. Clement Turpin – France

Turpin, 43, is widely regarded as one of the best referees in the world right now. He has officiated in numerous big matches, including those in the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups, and also in the Euros since 2016. In 2017, he also came to India to officiate in the FIFA U-17 World Cup, and later went on to handle big games like the UEFA Champions League finals, notably on two occasions in 2021 and 2022.

Total Matches	Notable Matches
401	Liverpool vs Real Madrid (UEFA Champions League 2022 Final) Manchester City vs Chelsea (UEFA Champions League 2021 Final)

3. Danny Makkelie – The Netherlands

Makkelie is a standout name in this list, as despite being one of the best soccer referee in the world, he is also a police officer by profession in Rotterdam. He is deemed a no-nonsense official who doesn’t shy away from producing a card quite often. Earning a FIFA badge in 2011, the best thing about him is that he has been a VAR official for quite a few finals, including the likes of the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the 2019 UEFA Champions League finals among the big ones.

Total Matches	Notable Matches
384	France vs Croatia (FIFA World Cup 2018 Final) – VAR

2. Slavko Vincic – Slovenia

Vincic, the Slovenian referee, who has been on the FIFA panel since 2010, does not tolerate any nonsense on the pitch and for that reason, he is considered the best football referee in the world. During his career, he has officiated in big matches like the 2024 UEFA Champions League final between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid, and also the Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe game in the Turkish Super Lig this year. Currently, he is officiating in the FIFA Club World Cup, where he was in charge of the River Plate vs. Monterrey clash, a fixture which yielded nine yellow cards and a red card.

Total Matches	Notable Matches
90	Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid (UEFA Champions League 2024 Final)

1. Francois Letexier – France

Letexier is currently the best referee in the world, and he was labelled the same by the IFFHS in 2024. He started his professional journey in 2016, when he officiated the Ligue 1 tie between Montpellier and Caen. His standards helped him earn a FIFA badge in 2017, and a first international match in 2018 when he was in charge of the game between Bulgaria and Bosnia and Herzegovina. He has also officiated in numerous finals, including the 2021 Coupe de France final between AS Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain, and the 2024 Euros final between Spain and England, a game which made him the youngest ever referee to officiate a Euro Cup final. 

Total Matches	Notable Matches
229	Spain vs England (Euro Cup 2024 Final)

ALSO READ: Top 10 Newcastle Best Players – 2025 (Ranked)

FAQs