George Lakrindis has been named among four Australian match officials appointed by FIFA for the Men’s FIFA World Cup 2026, marking a major milestone for Australian refereeing.
Football Australia confirmed Lakrindis will serve as an assistant referee alongside Alireza Faghani, Andrew Lindsay and Shaun Evans, who has been selected as a Video Match Official.
The appointments follow what FIFA described as a rigorous multi-year assessment process based on “performance excellence, consistency and professionalism” across domestic and international competitions.
Football Australia Head of Refereeing Jon Moss said: “The appointments mark another significant milestone for Australian refereeing and reflect the success of Football Australia’s high-performance officiating pathways, which continue to develop match officials capable of performing on football’s biggest stage.”
He added: “Football Australia congratulates Alireza, George, Andrew and Shaun on this outstanding achievement. Their selection to officiate at the world’s premier football tournament is a testament to their commitment, resilience and sustained elite performance.”
The officials will form part of FIFA Team One, overseeing the expanded 48-team, 104-match tournament hosted across three nations.
