Ma Ning, Zhou Fei, and Fu Ming: Meet the Chinese referees making history in 2026 World Cup

Kansas City: Chinese football referee Ma Ning has made history at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, becoming the first central match official from China to take charge of a tournament fixture in 24 years.

The 47-year-old referee was appointed to oversee the Group E second-round clash between Ecuador and Curaçao at Kansas City Stadium. The landmark assignment marks the first time since the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan that a Chinese official has been handed the whistle as the lead match referee at football’s showpiece event.

A Groundbreaking Officiating Trio

The fixture also served as an unprecedented milestone for Chinese refereeing development as a whole. FIFA’s appointment of compatriots Zhou Fei as an assistant referee and Fu Ming as the video assistant referee (VAR) marked the first time in World Cup history that three Chinese match officials have worked together in the same fixture.

While Ma handled the on-pitch duties, his colleagues set records of their own. Zhou became the first Chinese assistant referee to actively work on the field at a World Cup, while Fu achieved a milestone as the first Chinese official to serve as a primary VAR at the tournament.

Rising Through the Ranks

Ma’s landmark selection is the culmination of a steady rise through the international officiating ranks. The experienced official is the only Chinese referee to have been selected for two consecutive World Cups. At the 2022 tournament in Qatar, Ma served as the fourth official in six separate fixtures but was not selected to lead a match on the pitch.

Known among domestic fans by the affectionate moniker "Card Master" due to his strict and authoritative style, Ma has built a formidable reputation across Asia. The referee's growing global profile has even attracted major corporate sponsorship deals back home with technology giants like Lenovo and Hisense, turning him into a prominent face of the tournament for Chinese fans, particularly with China's national team failing to qualify for the 2026 finals.

The trio's historic World Cup integration follows several high-profile continental assignments. Ma, Fu, and Zhou previously comprised the core officiating team that successfully oversaw the 2023 AFC Asian Cup final in early 2024, alongside officiating at the expanded FIFA Club World Cup in 2025.