Competition
The Group E match was initially scheduled to be refereed by English official Michael Oliver.
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Ivory Coast and Ecuador begin their tournament campaign with a head-to-head encounter in Group E on Sunday evening.
The match is scheduled to start at 7pm local time (midnight UK time) on Sunday, June 14 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
However, FIFA has altered its plans for this fixture after the originally appointed referee, Michael Oliver, withdrew from officiating the contest.
The referee for Ivory Coast vs Ecuador at World Cup 2026
Premier League referee Oliver pulled out of the match earlier this week due to an injury, meaning his linesmen will also sit this one out, as they operate as a unit.
FIFA has indicated that the Englishman is expected to be available for selection 'in the coming days' and is anticipated to remain in North America for the upcoming matches.
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This means that France's Francois Letexier will step in to take charge of Ivory Coast vs Ecuador instead.
Part-time court bailiff Letexier is no stranger to high-profile fixtures. He oversaw the Euro 2024 final between England and Spain, becoming the youngest referee ever to officiate a Euros final at age 35, and his most recent competitive outing was in Aston Villa's Europa League final victory over Freiburg.
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The Ligue Un referee will be supported by Cyril Mugnier and Mehdi Rahmouni.
Khalid Al-Turais will serve as fourth official, with fellow Saudi Mohammed Al-Bakry acting as the reserve assistant referee.
Another Premier League referee, Australian Jarred Gillett, will be in the VAR booth, joined by France's Willy Delajod and Belgium's Bram Van Driessche.
Both sides will be especially eager to secure a win in this match after witnessing what a ruthless Germany did to Curacao in the first Group E game earlier in the day.
The two teams are separated by just nine spots in the FIFA World Rankings, with Ecuador sitting in 24th place and Ivory Coast in 33rd.
Steven Chicken has been working as a football writer since 2009, with stints at Football365 and the Huddersfield Examiner. Steven still covers Huddersfield Town home and away for his own publication, WeAreTerriers.com. Steven is a two-time nominee for Regional Journalist of the Year at the prestigious British Sports Journalism Awards, making the shortlist in 2020 and 2023.
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