The referee who helped open the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ will fittingly usher the groundbreaking tournament toward its unforgettable climax, as Australia’s Alireza Faghani has been appointed to officiate Sunday’s final between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea FC. Mr Faghani, 47, was selected on Friday for the upcoming showpiece at New York New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium. The final will be his fourth match in charge at this Club World Cup, which kicked off on 14 June with Mr Faghani overseeing the Inter Miami CF-Al Ahly FC clash at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. A two-time winner of the Asian Football Confederation’s Referee of the Year award, Mr Faghani is no stranger to prestige appointments. But the opportunity to work a historic match like Sunday’s final, which will determine the first true global club world champion, is a dream come true – not to mention the result of weeks of preparation and years of hard work.

“First of all, I have to just express my feelings. This is the first (FIFA) Club World Cup and it’s a real pleasure to be a part of this important tournament of FIFA,” Mr Faghani said after learning of his gratifying assignment. “I feel great, actually. We [were busy for] two weeks with preparation regarding all aspects and then, finally, I received the final game.” Pierluigi Collina, the Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, said Mr Faghani emerged from an outstanding pool of Club World Cup referees that gave assessors plenty to ponder. “When we decide (on) the referee for a final, we always take into consideration several factors… of course, the performances delivered during the competition,” Mr Collina explained. “They really (did) put us in a very, very difficult position, because there were many referees who would have deserved to [officiate] in the final. We chose Alireza Faghani and the rest of the team, because we think – we are convinced – that this is the best team for the final.”

Mr Faghani earned his FIFA badge in 2008 and has refereed the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil – overseeing the final between the hosts and Germany – as well as the third place play-off at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™. He also took charge of two group stage contests at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. He understands what goes into working and excelling at a major tournament, and he applied that knowledge effectively over the past month-plus in the United States.

“Every tournament, it’s a privilege for us to be a part of the tournament. As I said, we had two weeks’ preparation. We worked on all aspects: team tactics, practical and, also, medical,” Mr Faghani said. “We started the tournament in this way and, hopefully, all of the referees were on the same page and, at the end of the day, I think the teams were also happy [with] the referees’ performance.” He added, “And I have to thank all the people who are behind the scenes, like administration, the instructors, and everybody who just pushes us to be prepared for the tournament.” This summer, Mr Faghani also refereed the CA Boca Juniors-FC Bayern München Group C game in Miami and the Chelsea FC-Palmeiras quarter-final in Philadelphia.

Mr Collina, whose distinguished refereeing career included the FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan™ final in Yokohama, praised the officiating throughout a successful Club World Cup and expressed his confidence that Mr Farhani and his colleagues would rise to the grand occasion in New York New Jersey. “We are very happy [with] the refereeing here. The standard was at the expected level. We implemented something new, like the referees’ camera, which was received in a great way, even beyond our expectations. So, I can say, (it was) great,” Mr Collina said. “I hope that the team – our match officials of the 63rd match of the FIFA Club World Cup ’25 – will be at the same standard of the teammates [throughout] the competition. We are very confident that this will be (the case).”

Mr Faghani will be joined at MetLife Stadium by assistant referees Anton Shchetinin and Ashley Beecham, both Australian compatriots, as well as fourth official Facundo Tello and reserve assistant referee Gabriel Chade, both of Argentina. The video assistant referee (VAR) will be Germany’s Bastian Dankert. He’ll be supported by Nicaraguan assistant VAR Tatiana Guzmán and Croatian support VAR Ivan Bebek. With that team behind him, Mr Faghani said he was ready to soak in the experience and confident about performing well on the biggest stage. “I’m 47 years old. This will be one of my last tournaments. It’s a pleasure, really, to be a part of the FIFA (Club World Cup) tournament, and I try to enjoy every moment,” he said. “Nothing is a surprise for us because we have been working (on) every aspect, so it will be a good game from both teams, and we are trying to do our best and be the best team in [Sunday’s] match."