DOHA :Hani Taleb Ballan, Chairman of the Referees Committee of the Qatar Football Association (QFA) and Vice Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, is playing a leading role in overseeing the Preparatory Referee Course for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The course, dedicated to referees from the North and South American confederations, has brought together 24 match officials along with specialist teams covering technical, physical, medical and psychological aspects of refereeing. Ballan is overseeing the program alongside Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee Pierluigi Collina of Italy and FIFA Refereeing Department Director Massimo Busacca of Switzerland.
Running from January 12 to 18 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the course forms part of FIFA’s structured Referees Committee program designed to prepare and evaluate officials through a series of intensive courses ahead of the 2026 World Cup. It is one of three key approved programs in the final phase of referee preparation and assessment.
Two further courses are scheduled in the coming weeks, with Doha hosting officials from Asia, Africa and Oceania from February 23 to 27, 2026, followed by a European course in Dubai, UAE, from March 2 to 6.
The program features an integrated mix of theoretical lectures, practical applications and comprehensive testing to ensure referees meet FIFA’s highest standards. The 2026 FIFA World Cup finals will be staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026.
