Best Referee in the World: Top 10 Football Referees Ranked

Being a football referee is not easy, considering the task of controlling 22 players on the pitch alongside keeping an eye on the team officials on the bench. Referring officials are responsible for maintaining unbiasedness while also ensuring a fair atmosphere on the field, enhancing the beauty of the game of football. If we look at some of the best referee in the world across generations, most of them have maintained a strict character while officiating matches.

To follow every detail with naked eyes might not be easy for the on-field referees, but along with video assistants and support staff, best referees in the world have always set an example of sheer discipline. On days of competitive fixtures, these individuals have to be at their ultimate best in terms of observation and attentiveness, making sure the match progresses smoothly. In this article, we will have a thorough run-down on the best football referees in the world.

Best Referees in the World (Top 10 List)

Here we have compiled a list comprising the best football referees in the world. While most of them are from Europe, a few from America make the list too. Unfortunately, no Asian referee has matched our criteria for the best referee in the world.

How We Ranked The Best Soccer Referee in World

We have listed below the criteria taken into consideration for decoding best football referee in the world. The criteria are split into various factors, like the IFFHS awards, and how many high-profile finals they have officiated, being a few.

• Experience: The number of years a referee has officiated at the top level and the total matches handled throughout their career.
• Consistency Across Seasons: How regularly the referee delivers strong, fair performances year after year without major drops in standards.
• Major Tournament Appointments: The number of big finals and international tournaments (like the World Cup, Euros, or Champions League) they have been trusted to officiate.

Who are the Best Referees in the World?

The best referee in the world are known for their accuracy, confidence, and control over the game. They have to handle intense pressure from both teams, their players, and even coaches, while ensuring fairness on the field. The top football officials should have good knowledge of the rules and apply them perfectly in crunch situations. Here we have listed best referees in the world.

10. Wilton Sampaio (Brazil)

The 44-year-old Wilton Sampaio started as a professional referee when he was just 15. Initially, he was considered too short by Armando Marques, the then-Brazilian referee chief. However, after Marques left in 2005, Sampaio was given the chance to officiate more high-profile games. In 2012, he was chosen as one of the best referees in Serie A (Brazil’s top tier), and in 2018, he was a part of the VAR panel in the FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Finally, Sampaio got a chance to officiate at the quadrennial event, when the FIFA World Cup was hosted in Qatar in 2022, and was in charge of four games, two group stage fixtures and two knockout clashes. The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) considers him one of the best referee in football among the current set in South America.

9. Raphael Claus (Brazil)

Up next on the list of best referees in the world, we have another South American footballing referee from Brazil. Raphael Claus, a 46-year-old match official from Santa Barbara d'Oeste, has been in the thick of things for quite a long time now. He is considered one of the best referees in the world. He had become a part of the FIFA panel back in the year 2015.

Raphael has officiated many high-octane fixtures, with one of them being the 2024 Copa America final. He was also in charge of a few matches in the FIFA World Cup 2022. Similar to his fellow Brazilian referee Wilton Sampaio, Claus has mostly officiated in the Brazilian top division with over 200 matches under his belt. After building a credible reputation in domestic competitions, he went on to referee in the Copa America and the FIFA World Cup.

8. Anthony Taylor (England)

Hailing from Wythenshawe in Manchester, Anthony Taylor had started his professional journey as a referee in 2002. However, it was only in 2010 that he started officiating in the English Premier League, the English top-flight competition. The very first match Taylor managed was played between Fulham and Portsmouth. Anthony Taylor has been a part of the FIFA panel since 2015.

He has been in charge of numerous final fixtures, with the most notable being the 2021 UEFA Nations League final. In 2022, he was among the six English referees who represented their country in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. However, recently, the English referee was at the helm of criticism following a wrong call against Liverpool in the Premier League.

7. Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

One of the best football referees, the Polish match official Szymon Marciniak, is held in high regard in the football world for his work in European football. He started professionally in 2006, and within the interval of three years, he became a regular in handling high-octane in Poland and Europe. Moreover, Marciniak had been handed the responsibility of officiating the FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and France in 2022.

The Polishman was also in charge of the UEFA Champions League final in 2023 between Premier League side Manchester City and Inter Milan. In regards, the IFFHS has labelled him ‘The World’s Best Referee’ on two consecutive occasions in 2022 and 2023. Oh yes, he was also a footballer in his youth, representing the Polish side Wisla Plock’s junior side.

6. Felix Zwayer (Germany)

He has been on the FIFA panel since 2012. Felix Zwayer hails from Berlin, Germany. He started working at the DFB level in 2004 and three years later got the chance to work in the German second-tier Bundesliga II and then the Bundesliga. Recently, he officiated the 2025 UEFA Europa League final between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, which the former won with a 1-0 scoreline.

In 2018, Zwayer was part of the VAR team at the FIFA World Cup. However, he has also been involved in various controversies, with the most notable incident being the 2005 match-fixing scandal, which involved his fellow German referee Robert Hoyzer. He assisted him in the game and reportedly received a bribe, too. During his refereeing career, Felix has managed over 400 official matches.

5. Michael Oliver (England)

The English referee Michael Oliver is hailed as one of the best Premier League referees of all time. He was introduced to the profession by his father when he was 14, and gradually made it to the National List of Referees in 2007. The very same year, he officiated the Conference National play-off final, becoming the youngest referee to officiate at Wembley Stadium. He even worked in the Saudi Pro League clash between Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr in 2023.

Since receiving his FIFA badge in 2012, Oliver has officiated numerous high-voltage fixtures from English domestic competitions, league and European competitions. He was in charge of the 2021 FA Cup final between Chelsea and Leicester City. In the very next year, he officiated Eintracht Frankfurt and Real Madrid. Moreover, he is considered the best referee in the world and was included among the six English match officials at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

4. Clement Turpin (France)

One of the best football referees, the French match official, Clement Turpin, has been a go-to match official for UEFA for high-stakes European matches. Hailing from France, the 43-year-old is a regular when it comes to Ligue 1 fixtures. He is a proficient match official, who is known to control the match with his strong personality.

Also, Clement has officiated in numerous big matches, including two successive FIFA World Cups in 2018 and 2022, respectively. Not only that, but he has also managed games in the Euros since 2016. In 2017, he also came to India to officiate in the FIFA U-17 World Cup. Later, he went on to handle big games like the UEFA Champions League finals on two occasions in 2021 and 2022.

3. Danny Makkelie (Netherlands)

The Dutch match official, Danny Makkelie has been a standout name in this list. Despite being one of the best soccer referee in the world, he is also a police officer by profession in Rotterdam, Netherlands. He is deemed a no-nonsense official who doesn’t shy away from producing a card quite often. He is renowned as one of the best referee in the world.

Makkelie earned a FIFA badge in 2011, and the most notable thing about him is that he has been a VAR official for quite a few finals. He was the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia between France and Croatia, and the 2019 UEFA Champions League finals played between Liverpool and Tottenham, among the big ones.

2. Slavko Vincic (Slovenia)

Slavko Vincic, the Slovenian referee who has been on the FIFA panel since 2010, does not tolerate any nonsense on the pitch, and for that reason, he is considered the best football referee in the world. During his career, he has officiated in big matches like the 2024 UEFA Champions League final between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid in the English capital.

Vincic has also covered the electrifying Turkish Süper Lig fixture between Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe. Most recently, he officiated in the FIFA Club World Cup, where he was in charge of the River Plate vs Monterrey clash, a fixture which yielded nine yellow cards and a red card. The Slovenian referee has officiated over 100 matches, establishing himself as the best referee in the world.

1. Francois Letexier (France)

Letexier is currently best referee in football, and he was labelled the same by the IFFHS in 2024. He started his professional journey in 2016, when he officiated the Ligue 1 tie between Montpellier and Caen. His standards helped him earn a FIFA badge in 2017, and a first international match in 2018 when he was in charge of the game between Bulgaria and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Francois Letexier has also officiated in numerous finals, including the 2021 Coupe de France final between AS Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain. He was in charge of the 2024 Euros final between Spain and England – a game which made him the youngest ever referee to officiate a Euro Cup final. The French match official is the best referee in football at present.