The 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico will see a historic milestone in FIFA’s history reached.
The tournament is now in full swing, and the group-stage matches are coming thick and fast.
On June 20, Japan and Tunisia are set to face off in a Group F clash, and that game will be the 1,000th World Cup tie in FIFA’s history.
Referee gifted a special shirt to mark 1,000th FIFA game
FIFA have appointed Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs to take charge of the 1,000th match.
Ahead of the tie, the organisation have presented the official with a special Adidas match shirt that features gold sleeve stripes and a ‘Match 1000’ patch to mark the historic moment.
FIFA Chief Refereeing Officer and Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee Pierluigi Collina has also commented on the milestone.
In a statement on the organisation’s website, he said: “We selected the referee that we think is the best referee for this match. And of course, by coincidence, he is also appointed for the 1,000th match.
“So, for him, it is something extra, something special on top. Refereeing a FIFA World Cup match is always a huge privilege, it’s a great honour.
“Certainly, becoming part of the history of football – part of the history of the FIFA World Cup, being appointed to and being on the field of play to officiate the match number 1,000 is definitely something extra.
“We decided to create a special match kit to celebrate this match and it’s a nice one with some golden details; stripes and a patch with the trophy and the number 1,000 on it.”
FIFA’s first World Cup took place all the way back in 1930 and saw Uruguay emerge as the winners.
During that tournament, the first two matches were played at the same time. One saw France beat Mexico 4-1 and the other saw the USA beat Belgium 3-0.
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