Scotland vs. Morocco: Who is the referee for World Cup match? Record in charge of both teams

Scotland began their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory over Haiti, their first-ever win at the tournament, and they will be looking to pick up another positive result against Morocco on Friday.

Morocco drew 1-1 with Brazil in their opening game and will prove a tough challenge for Steve Clarke's side, having memorably reached the semi-finals at the 2022 World Cup.

Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the referee and VAR appointments for Scotland vs. Morocco.

Who is the referee for Scotland vs. Morocco?

© Iconsport / Hugo Pfeiffer

Uzbek referee Ilgiz Tantashev has been appointed as the referee for Scotland's Group C clash with Morocco.

The 42-year-old will be a familiar face to those who watched football at the 2024 Olympic Games as Tantashev refereed four games, including the semi-final between Spain and Morocco and the quarter-final between France and Argentina.

During the semi-final, Tanatashev was forced off with an injury after an inadvertent collision with Spain defender Marc Pubill, with fourth official Glenn Nyberg replacing him for the remainder of the match.

Tantashev also officiated at the 2025 Club World Cup and refereed two AFC Champions League finals, having spent the majority of his career in the Uzbekistan Super League.

Ilgiz Tantashev's record in Scotland and Morocco matches

Tantashev has never officiated a Scotland game and also never overseen a game involving a club side from Scotland.

The only Morocco game Tantashev has been involved in was the aforementioned semi-final clash with Spain at the 2024 Olympics.

Due to his unfortunate injury, Tantashev was only in charge for 11 minutes and there were no goals scored or any cards dished out during that time.

Scotland vs. Morocco: Who are the other officials?

Two other Uzbek officials, Andrey Tsapenko and Timur Gaynullin, will serve as assistant referees for Scotland's clash with Morocco.

Adham Makhadmeh from Jordan will be the fourth official, with compatriot Mohammad Al-Khalaf acting as reserve assistant referee.

It has not yet been confirmed who will be on Video Assistant Referee (VAR) duty for the game.