The appointment of referees for the group stage matches at the Qatar 2022 World Cup resulted in Peruvian Kevin Ortega and Chilean Julio Bascuñán being present in the second match of that stage, England vs. Iran, corresponding to Matchday 1 of Group B.
The national referee was chosen as the fourth official of a mostly Brazilian team, which will be composed of Raphael Claus, Rodrigo Figueiredo, and Danilo Simon. This will be the first time the 30-year-old FIFA referee participates in a World Cup.
Meanwhile, the southerner will support in the VAR room as an assistant. Uruguayan referees Leodan González and Martín Sorpi, as well as Spanish referee Juan Martínez, will also be present in the video assistant referee (VAR) room for the clash between England and Iran.
Kevin Ortega and Julio Bascuñán will be in the England vs. Iran match. Photo: FIFA Media screenshot
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Bascuñán —remembered by the Peruvian fans for his controversial refereeing in the Peru vs. Brazil match in 2020— already has experience in a World Cup: in Russia 2018, he served as the fourth official in five matches.
In addition to Ortega, other referees from our country who were chosen to participate in Qatar 2022 are Michael Orué (fifth official of the England vs. Iran match) and Jesús Sánchez. Chile, on the other hand, has Bascuñán as its only representative.
When do England and Iran play?
The match between the European and Iranian teams will take place on Monday, November 21, at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium (Al Rayyan), starting at 8:00 AM (Peruvian time) and 10:00 AM (Chilean time). It will be the second match to be played in the entire tournament.