Who Are The Referees For Spain vs. Belgium?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Spain will take on Belgium on Friday, July 10, at Los Angeles Stadium in a quarterfinal matchup, as both teams look to advance to the semifinals.
Spain reached the last eight by defeating Austria, 3-0, in the round of 32, before getting out of a tight round of 16 game against Portugal with a stoppage-time winner from Mikel Merino.
Belgium reached this point with a miraculous 3-2 comeback victory against Senegal, winning in extra time after being down, 2-0, in the 86th minute. Two late goals pushed the game into extra time, before Youri Tielemans scored the winner from the penalty spot.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Belgium followed that with a commanding 4-1 victory over the United States in the round of 16, advancing to the last eight after a lackluster start to its World Cup.
Who Are The World Cup Referees For Spain vs. Belgium?
If you are a fan of the Premier League, you are more likely than not familiar with the center official for the Spain-Belgium match: the highly experienced Michael Oliver.
(Photo by Grzegorz Wajda/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
This is Oliver’s second World Cup and his fourth assignment at this tournament. He has already been the official for Netherlands-Sweden, Norway-France and Canada-Morocco, with the Canada-Morocco match coming in the round of 16. Oliver is a highly experienced referee who has worked high-stakes domestic matches in England, as well as prestigious Champions League matches at the club level.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}His assistants will be fellow English officials Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring, while the fourth official will be Brazil’s Ramon Abatti.
Referee: Michael Oliver (England)
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt (England)
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Assistant Referee 2: James Mainwaring (England)
Fourth Official: Ramon Abatti (Brazil)