The referee for today’s clash between France and Sweden is Danny Makkelie, an experienced match official from the Netherlands.

Recognised as one of UEFA’s leading referees, Makkelie has previously overseen games involving many of the players who will take the field for both France and Sweden at the New York New Jersey Stadium.

This will be Makkelie’s third appointment at the 2026 World Cup, following his earlier group-stage outings featuring the United States, Paraguay, Morocco, and Haiti.

Makkelie, who also serves as a police officer and hails from Curacao, has been part of the FIFA referees’ list since 2011. Over the years, he has established himself as one of the most experienced officials in international football.

The 2026 World Cup marks his fourth major international tournament and his second appearance at a World Cup. He notably took charge of the 2020 Europa League final — the only one played behind closed doors — where Sevilla triumphed over Inter Milan.

The 43-year-old referee drew considerable attention earlier in the tournament following a controversial VAR decision during his opening match of the World Cup.

In that fixture, held in Los Angeles, Makkelie officiated the opening game for co-hosts the United States. He initially booked U.S. captain Tim Ream for a foul on Paraguay’s Miguel Almiron. However, the decision was later overturned, with Almiron instead cautioned for simulation — a debatable application of the ‘mistaken identity’ rule, which was extended to yellow cards but never intended to allow re-refereeing incidents after the fact.

Across his two group-stage matches, Makkelie issued a total of nine yellow cards — approximately 50% higher than his average across 24 Eredivisie fixtures last season. In domestic competition, he typically sent off one player every eight matches, though he has yet to issue a red card at this World Cup.

Assisting Makkelie in New Jersey will be Hessel Steegstra and Jan de Vries, both fellow Dutch officials. The fourth official role will be handled by Tori Penso, while Dutch referee Dennis Higler will oversee the VAR operations from Dallas.