Moroccan arbitration returns to the World Cup... Belgoula’s legacy leads to a good whistle

After years of absence from the World Cup front, the Moroccan whistle regains its presence in the “2026 World Cup” by choosing international referee Jalal Jaid among the list of referees, in an extension of a historical path that began with assistant referee Jalali Gharib and reached its peak with the late Saeed Belkoula, before he experienced periods of decline.

Assistant referee Jalali Gharib inaugurated the first Moroccan presence in the World Cup finals during the 1994 US edition, becoming the first referee to represent Morocco in this global football forum, and opening the door to the emergence of Moroccan names in the international arena.

Moroccan arbitration reached the height of its brilliance with the late Said Belgoula, who officiated in the final of the 1998 World Cup in France, in an unprecedented historical achievement that made him the first Arab and African referee to lead the final match, giving Morocco unprecedented global influence in the field of arbitration.

The Moroccan whistle continued its presence through Mohamed Al-Kazzaz, who participated as a field referee in the “2002 World Cup” in South Korea and Japan, before being present as a reserve referee in the 2006 edition in Germany, confirming his position among the elite of international referees in that period.

In light of the absence of the field referees during some tournaments, Morocco maintained its presence through assistant referee Radouane Achik, who participated in three consecutive editions (2010, 2014, 2018), ensuring the continuity of the Moroccan representation in the largest international football forum.

Moroccan arbitration recorded its presence in the Qatar World Cup 2022 through the presence of Radouane Jaid and Adel Zouraq among the video assistant referee (VAR) crews, as the Moroccan representation in this version was limited to working inside the “VAR” room.

The Moroccan whistle is witnessing a strong return to the 2026 World Cup finals, through the selection of Jalal Gayed, in the presence of which brings the referees back to the forefront after a long absence, and reflects renewed confidence in the Moroccan referees. This representation is also strengthened by an integrated refereeing team that includes assistant referees Zakaria Prinsi and Mustafa Akrakad, along with video referee Hamza Al-Fariq, in a step that indicates a collective and ambitious return towards restoring the position of Moroccan refereeing among the world’s top referees.