Players aren’t the only ones with a financial stake in what happens at the 2026 World Cup this summer.

The officials overseeing football’s biggest tournament are in line for a bumper payday of their own, and two of England’s most prominent referees are set to cash in.

Premier League officials currently earn in the region of £170,000 to £180,000 a year once match fees and bonuses are factored in, a figure that varies depending on experience and seniority. But for those selected this summer, the World Cup presents a huge financial opportunity: the chance to exceed an entire season’s worth of earnings in just five weeks.

A Record-Breaking Pay Packet for Referees at the World Cup

According to The Times, World Cup referees will each earn a record-breaking $100,000 (around £75,000) for their involvement in the tournament, a figure that represents roughly double what officials were paid at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. It’s an uplift that reflects both the expanded 48-team format, the increased scrutiny that comes with it, and FIFA’s determination to attract the very best officials football has to offer.

This is all before bonuses. Referees retained for the knockout rounds will earn more at each successive stage, with those handed the final on the 19th of July in line for the largest payout of all.

Two of the Premier League’s best referees have been selected for the tournament: Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor. Between their Premier League commitments, FA Cup and Champions League matches this season, both are understood to have already earned in the region of £250,000, so the World Cup will be a lucrative addition on top of an already substantial year’s work.

Australian official Jarred Gillett, who also works in the Premier League, will attend in a specialist VAR capacity.

World Cup Rule Changes to be Enforced

The pay structure isn’t the only thing that’s new. FIFA has introduced a raft of rule changes for 2026.

Time-wasting is being targeted more aggressively than ever. Substitutes will be required to leave the pitch within ten seconds, and any player who goes off for treatment will have to remain off the pitch for a full minute before returning. There’s also a five-second countdown for throw-ins and goal kicks, and players who cover their mouths during confrontations with officials risk immediate dismissal.

VAR’s powers have been expanded too. For the first time, the system will be able to overturn a corner if it was incorrectly awarded, and review red cards issued for a second yellow. Two things fans have been crying out for.

VAR will also have the power to intervene and disallow goals for a foul by an attacking player even before the ball has crossed the line.

With 52 referees, 88 assistant referees and 30 VAR officials overseeing 104 matches, the infrastructure in place this summer is the largest in World Cup history by quite some distance.

Manchester United have now fully turned their attentions to their second signing of the summer after completing an agreement to sign Ederson from Atalanta.

The Red Devils have agreed a £38m deal with the Serie A side to bring the Brazil star to Old Trafford, with the central midfielder now a late addition to the Brazil World Cup squad, which means a deal may be delayed before it is officially signed off and announced.

But with an agreement in place and transfer sorted, United are now moving on to their next targets, and have opened club-to-club talks for their next potential signing.

Man Utd Open Talks to Sign Mateus Fernandes

According to Roundtable, Man Utd have now opened club-to-club talks with West Ham United over a deal to sign Mateus Fernandes.

Fernandes, who has been described as a ‘superstar’, is expected to leave the Hammers this summer after they were relegated to the Championship, but the east London side are currently demanding around £80m to let him leave, despite having paid Southampton around £40m just 12 months prior in the same situation.

United are now ready to push into negotiations, but have absolutely no intention of going near that £80m asking price, and are not interested in taking part in a long saga.

The Portuguese midfielder has already agreed personal terms on a move to Old Trafford, having received glowing references from Bruno Fernandes and Michael Carrick, and now negotiations are expected to accelerate in the coming weeks over a deal.

Deal There to be Done for Man Utd

While West Ham are playing hardball behind the scenes over a deal for the 21-year-old midfielder, the expectation everywhere is that he will leave the London Stadium before the new season begins.

The £80m price tag is far too high, and West Ham know it too. But with a 15% sell-on clause owed to Southampton from any profit, they want to maximise their returns. Man Utd, however, have been burned far too many times in the past, and INEOS have seemingly learned from mistakes by the previous regime.

A deal will get done eventually, but for how much remains to be seen, and whether it’s Man United who agree terms with West Ham or not is also not guaranteed.

After just seven goals and assists and a fifth-place finish in the Premier League, Mohamed Salah’s final season at Anfield was always going to invite scrutiny.

That dip in output following years of extraordinary consistency, and a contract situation that rumbled on for far too long, gave pundits plenty of ammunition. But one man who played alongside Salah, has had enough of the criticism.

A Liverpool legend and one of the most prominent voices in football led the charge, publicly accusing Salah of selfishness and suggesting his body language had become a problem. Others in the media followed suit, and as the season wore on, the narrative around one of Anfield’s greatest ever players grew increasingly unforgiving.

Dejan Lovren’s Verdict on Jamie Carragher’s Criticism of Mohamed Salah

Dejan Lovren, who made 141 appearances under Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool and won the Champions League and Premier League alongside the Egyptian, has spoken out in defence of his close friend, delivering a scathing opinion on those who’ve spoken out.

As quoted by Goal, Lovren made no attempt to soften his stance over the way Salah has been portrayed, calling Jamie Carragher’s criticism ‘disgusting’. He said :

Lovren’s view is that Carragher, like many TV pundits, is more interested in the performance than the analysis, and that his comments come with a caveat: he’d never say them to a player’s face.

“He’s being really heavily criticised. Some pundits do it just to attract attention, maybe because they haven’t succeeded in other areas of their lives, so now they need to perform well… especially Carragher, he says whatever he wants,” Lovren said.

Why Dejan Lovren Blames Arne Slot For Salah’s Exit

When discussing what exactly led to Salah’s departure, the Croatian was confident in saying that the club itself wasn’t the issue, it was one man. Arne Slot.

“I don’t think it’s the management (that pushed Salah to leave). “I think it’s just one person, and I think it’s just the manager. They didn’t have a good relationship. Let’s put it simply. With Klopp, he had a really good relationship. It wasn’t always perfect, but they knew each other very well, let’s say that too, and they trusted each other, they liked each other, and Mo gave everything on the pitch for Klopp, and Klopp gave him that trust.”

In Lovren’s view, the difference between the Klopp and Slot eras couldn’t be more night and day. The environment Klopp created allowed Salah to flourish in a way that the last 18 months simply didn’t replicate.