Istvan Kovacs, OUT from the 2026 World Cup. The Romanian referee did not make it to either the semifinals or the finals.

Istvan Kovacs's adventure at the 2026 World Cup has come to an end, as FIFA has announced the list of referees for the last four matches of the competition, and the Romanian referee is not among those selected. Of the 12 central referees chosen, Romania has no representative in the final stages.

According to the list published by FIFA, the following referees from UEFA remain in the running: Szymon Marciniak (Poland), Maurizio Mariani (Italy), Glenn Nyberg (Sweden), Joao Pinheiro (Portugal), Slavko Vincic (Slovenia), Espen Eskas (Norway).