Curacao and Ivory Coast will both be aiming to make history when they contest their Group E finale in Philadelphia.The World Cup debutants picked up their first point at the finals with a 0-0 draw against Ecuador last time out and a win against the Elephants could see them become the lowest-ranked nation ever to progress to the knockout stage.Meanwhile, Ivory Coast are looking to seal progress from the group stage for the first time – here are the officials for the 9pm (BST) clash.Curacao vs Ivory Coast referee confirmedSwedish official Glenn Nyberg will take charge of the Group E fixture (Image credit: Getty Images)Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg will take charge of Curacao vs Ivory Coast, with compatriots Mahbod Beigi and Andreas Soderkvist his assistants.This will be the 37-year-old’s second match at the World Cup, having officiated Ghana’s 1-0 win over Panama in Group L, in which he dished out three yellow cards.Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off by Nyberg in Dublin last November (Image credit: Getty Images)Nyberg started refereeing games in the Allsvenskan, Sweden’s top flight, in 2013 and has risen through the ranks to take charge of some big games across Europe.In the league phase of last season’s Champions League, he officiated Newcastle United’s 2-1 home defeat by Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur’s 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund.Nyberg also refereed Aston Villa’s 4-0 rout of Nottingham Forest in the second leg of their Europa League semi-final at Villa Park, giving a penalty following a VAR review for a foul by Nikola Milenkovic on Pau Torres.The Swede tends to prefer to keep his cards in his pocket, handing out just 59 bookings and one dismissal in 19 games since the start of the 2025/26 season, according to transfermarkt.However, he did send off Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo for elbowing Republic of Ireland defender Dara O’Shea when the sides met in World Cup qualifying in Dublin last November.Nyberg has officiated some big games in the Champions League (Image credit: Getty Images)Switzerland’s Sandro Scharer will be the fourth official in Philadelphia, with countryman Stephane De Almeida the reserve assistant referee.The VAR officials for the Group E clash are yet to be confirmed.Whereas Curacao must win to stand a chance of qualifying, Ivory Coast could still go through as one of the best third-place teams if they lose.
2026-06-25 16:00:00
