China finds World Cup consolation in its referees

Amid China's failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, the country is drawing comfort from the performance of its referees on the tournament's main stage — the first time a Chinese referee has overseen a World Cup match since the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, 24 years ago.

Three Chinese officials were assigned to Monday's Group E second-round match between Ecuador and Curaçao at Kansas City Stadium: referee Ma Ning, assistant referee Zhou Fei and video assistant referee Fu Ming. The match ended in a 0-0 draw, giving Curaçao — appearing in the World Cup for the first time in history — its first point in the tournament.

Ma showed one yellow card to Ecuador and five to Curaçao. It marked the first time three Chinese officials had been assigned to a single World Cup match simultaneously, and the first time Chinese officials had taken the field as assistant referee and VAR. Ma had served as a standby referee six times at the 2022 Qatar World Cup and was appointed as a main referee for the first time at this tournament.

China's state-run Xinhua News Agency called the assignment "the most meaningful World Cup participation in 20 years," saying the simultaneous deployment of three Chinese officials in one match "demonstrates the achievements Chinese referees have made for years" and is "evidence that Chinese football has moved deeper into FIFA's elite system." It added that Ma is "the only Chinese referee to participate in two consecutive World Cups."

China's state-run Global Times and Hong Kong's South China Morning Post also weighed in on Ma's performance. The Global Times, citing a local football commentator, said the assignment was "the result of years of effort by Chinese referees and the referee development system," adding that seeing Chinese referees perform with confidence on the world stage would help the public better understand the refereeing profession.

Before departing for the tournament, Ma said through the Chinese Football Association's website: "We have worked for years to prove that Chinese referees can stand on the world's biggest stage. We will do our best to demonstrate the professionalism of Chinese referees at the World Cup."

Meanwhile, Ma and Zhou are set to participate in the Group L second-round match between England and Ghana on Wednesday — Ma as a standby referee and Zhou as a reserve assistant referee. This World Cup has fielded the largest officiating contingent in history, with 52 referees, 88 assistant referees and 30 VAR officials drawn from 50 member associations across six confederations.