FIFA have announced that English referee Michael Oliver is set to return to World Cup duty this week, having been forced to withdraw from his first scheduled fixture through injury. The English official had been due to take charge of the clash between Ecuador and the Ivory Coast in the early hours of Monday morning, but was replaced by French referee Francois Letexier. The injury appears to have been relatively minor, with FIFA confirming he would be available for selection in the coming days.
That has proved to be the case, with Oliver now confirmed as the appointed referee for the Group F encounter between the Netherlands and Sweden on Saturday at 6pm kick-off. The match will be held at Houston Stadium in Houston, USA. Oliver will be supported by fellow Premier League officials Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring. South African officials Abongile Tom and Zakhele Siwela will take on the roles of fourth official and reserve assistant referee respectively.
This is not Oliver's first taste of World Cup action, having previously been appointed for the 2022 tournament in Qatar, where he oversaw the quarter-final showdown between Croatia and Brazil. Oliver has held international referee status since 2012 and has been a member of UEFA's elite officiating group since 2018.
He is one of six English FA on-field officials present at the World Cup, with Anthony Taylor serving as the other referee. Taylor will take charge of the group stage encounter between Uzbekistan and Colombia in the early hours of Thursday morning. The fixture will be staged at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn will serve as assistant referees for the match, while fellow Premier League official Jarred Gillett has been appointed as Video Match official, his third assignment of the tournament to date.
