FIFA has appointed referees from Poland and Qatar to officiate the Qatar 2022 World Cup final and third-place playoff respectively.
The final between holders France and 2014 runners-up Argentina is billed for Sunday, a day after African history makers Morocco and 2018 runners-up Croatia face off in the battle for bronze.
“Polish referee Szymon Marciniak will make history as the first man from his country to take charge of a FIFA World Cup final when France meet Argentina at Lusail Stadium on Sunday,” FIFA said on its official website.
“Marciniak, who oversaw France’s group-stage victory over Denmark and Argentina’s round of 16 defeat of Australia, will be assisted by compatriots Paweł Sokolnicki and Tomasz Listkiewicz for the hotly-anticipated contest.
“The 41-year-old has extensive UEFA Champions League experience and was in the middle for Liverpool’s first-leg semi-final victory over Villarreal last season. Marciniak additionally refereed three matches at the 2016 UEFA EURO.”
For the third-place match, FIFA has given the responsibility to a young Qatari official.
“Abdulrahman Al Jassim of Qatar, meanwhile, will officiate the playoff for third place between Morocco and Croatia at Khalifa International Stadium on Saturday,” the governing body announced.
“The 35-year-old was referee for USA and Wales’ 1-1 group stage draw on the tournament’s second day. He oversaw the FIFA Club World Cup final between Liverpool and Flamengo in December 2019.
“Al Jassim will have fellow Qataris Taleb Al Marri and Saoud Ahmed Almaqaleh as assistant referees for this weekend’s fixture.”
France are seeking to become the first team to retain the World Cup since Brazil in 1962, while Morocco are aiming to win Africa’s first-ever World Cup medal.
