Istvan Kovacs will referee 1,000th World Cup match, Tunisia vs Japan, with special golden kit

The match that makes history

On Sunday, 21 June, Tunisia and Japan will meet in Group F of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but the fixture carries a significance far beyond the group standings. The match, scheduled for 07:00 local time at the Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Mexico, will be the 1,000th in the tournament's history. Since the first World Cup match in 1930, the competition has grown to become the pinnacle of global football, and reaching four figures in matches played is a notable milestone for FIFA.

Appointment on merit

FIFA's Referees Committee chairman Pierluigi Collina confirmed that the selection of Istvan Kovacs to officiate the landmark fixture was based on standard performance criteria, not sentiment. Collina, who himself refereed the 2002 World Cup final, told journalists: "We chose the referee we thought best suited to take charge of this match. So it is a coincidence that he was appointed to the 1,000th match. For him, it's an extra special honour."

Collina added that officiating any World Cup match is a huge privilege, and that being the referee for the 1,000th game would ensure the Romanian official's place in football history.

The referee's journey

At 41 years old, Kovacs is considered one of Europe's top referees. He was part of the officiating team at Qatar 2022, serving as fourth official in eight matches, but he never took the whistle as the central referee. This weekend's appointment marks his World Cup debut in the middle. He becomes the first Romanian referee to officiate a World Cup match since Ioan Igna at the 1986 tournament, a 40-year gap.

Kovacs already holds a unique distinction: he is the only referee to have taken charge of the finals of all three UEFA men's club competitions, the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League. His assistants on Sunday will be Mihai Marica and Ferencz Tunyogi, also from Romania. The fourth official is Juan Calderon and the reserve is Juan Carlos Mora, both from Costa Rica.

A golden tribute

To commemorate the milestone, FIFA and kit supplier adidas created a special refereeing jersey for the occasion. The shirt features golden stripes on the sleeves and a commemorative emblem depicting the World Cup trophy and the number 1,000. Collina presented the jersey to Kovacs in front of the Team One referee group.

“Maybe you didn't know this, but Japan v Tunisia is very important because it is the 1,000th World Cup match. Imagine being the referee for such a special match. The referee deserves something special. As you can see, something with gold around it. The stripes on the shirt are gold. On the sleeve it says 'Match 1000' also in gold.”

The assistants will also wear the special kit on matchday.

Match details

Tunisia and Japan kick off at 07:00 on Sunday at the 53,000-seat Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, a venue that already hosted Tunisia's group-stage match against Sweden earlier in the tournament. For World Cup group-stage referees, the match fee is $3,000, with bonuses of $10,000 for knockout-round appointments.

“To be in football history — FIFA World Cup history — appointed to referee, then to walk onto the pitch and referee the 1,000th match of the competition, is clearly something special.”