The second Group C fixture of the World Cup will be played this evening at Boston Army, with the Tartan Army in attendance.
Scotland face off against Haiti in its first World Cup match since 1998, and they’re entering the 48-team tournament, played across North America, in fine form.
The Scotsmen have scored eight goals in their last two games — 4-0 and 4-1 demolitions of Bolivia and Curacao — and will be hoping for more of the same tonight, but who is officiating?
The referee for Scotland vs Haiti in Group C at the World Cup 2026
The Scotland vs Haiti match in Group C will be officiated by Algerian referee Mustapha Ghorbal.
Fellow Algerian countrymen Mokrane Gourari and Abbes Akram Zerhouni will serve as assistant referees, and Spain’s Alejandro Hernandez will operate as the game’s fourth official.
Ghorbal was previously a source of controversy in April, when he refereed an African Champions League semi-final first leg match.
The Algerian overturned what would have been a crucial goal, which was then confirmed by VAR.
The beneficiaries of Ghorbal and VAR’s decision proceeded to prevail in the match 1-0, leading to explosive scenes at the full-time whistle.
The Algerian required a police escort to exit the ground safely, as the crowd threw water bottles at him and the other match officials.
The majority of Ghorbal’s refereeing experience has come in Ligue 1, however, he has experience at major international tournaments also.
The Algerian refereed two group stage games at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and has served as referee at the last four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.
Notably, he oversaw Egypt’s 3-2 victory against Cote d’Ivoire in January, as well as Manchester City’s 6-0 demolition of Al-Ain in the FIFA Club World Cup last summer.
Ghorbal averages almost four bookings per game across his career, having shown over 1000 yellow cards in under 300 games.
