Mexican refereeing once again took center stage at the 2026 World Cup thanks to César Arturo Ramos Palazuelos. The Mexican referee reached a historic milestone by officiating his eighth World Cup match, tying the record that had been held solely by Benito Armando Archundia for more than a decade.
The milestone was reached during the match between New Zealand and Iran in the group stage of the 2026 World Cup. With this appointment, Ramos Palazuelos became the Mexican referee with the most matches officiated in World Cup history, now sharing that honor with Archundia.
A journey spanning three World Championships
César Ramos’ World Cup career began at Russia 2018, where he refereed three matches.
He was subsequently appointed to officiate four matches at Qatar 2022, including knockout-round matches that cemented his international reputation.
Among his most notable performances was the semifinal between France and Morocco in Qatar, one of the most challenging matches of that tournament.
With the match between New Zealand and Iran at the 2026 World Cup, Ramos officially reached eight matches as a head coach in World Cups (Filed under: César Ramos ties historic World Cup record).
The Legacy of Armando Archundia
The record he just tied is hugely significant for Mexican refereeing.
Armando Archundia refereed five matches at the 2006 World Cup in Germany and three more at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Their record included group stage matches, the round of 16, a semifinal, and the third-place match in South Africa.
For years, that milestone seemed out of reach due to the high standards FIFA applies when selecting referees for the most important stages of the World Cup.
However, César Ramos’s consistent performance in recent years allowed him to reach the same number.
And establish himself as one of the most prominent referees of the modern era (Filed under: César Ramos ties World Cup record).
The record was reached during the match between New Zealanda and Iran
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The next goal: a world record
Beyond the Mexican record, Ramos still has the chance to continue climbing the ranks in the history of international refereeing.
The all-time record for the number of World Cup matches refereed belongs to Ravshan Irmatov of Uzbekistan, who officiated 11 matches across the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, and the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Ahead of Ramos is also Argentine referee Néstor Pitana, who officiated nine World Cup matches, including the 2018 World Cup final in Russia.
With eight matches already under his belt, the Mexican referee is just three games away from tying Irmatov’s record (Filed under: César Ramos ties all-time World Cup record).
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