The Portuguese referee João Pinheiro participates from this Monday until April 1st in a FIFA internship, in Viareggio, Italy, as part of the decisive phase of the selection process of European referees candidates for the 2026 World Cup, which will take place in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
O judge from the Braga Football Association is part of the second group of referees called up for this technical and physical preparation actionafter a first group met the previous week. In total, around a dozen and a half European referees are still being evaluated, and only 12 are expected to make UEFA’s final list for the competition.
With international status since 2016, João Pinheiro has been consolidating his regular presence in UEFA and FIFA competitions. This season, he led matches in European and international competitions, after having already been present, among other relevant appointments, at the U20 World Cup and the European Super Cup.
The eventual choice for the 2026 World Cup could represent Portugal’s return to refereeing in the world’s main national team competitionsomething that hasn’t happened in over a decade. The last Portuguese referee present in a final phase was Pedro Proençathe current president of the São Paulo Football Federation, The 2014 World Cup, held in Brazil.
A FIFA’s final decision should be known after the conclusion of this cycle of preparation seminars, which integrates technical, physical and medical assessments of European candidates. For João Pinheiro, presence in the World Cup remains an objective he has assumed.
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