Watching the performances of these CONMEBOL refs makes you wonder how on earth FIFA is going to come up with enough decent refs for World Cup 2026. How many non-UEFA refs are there out there that could be trusted to do a WC knockout match?
I've been able to watch very little of this tournament. How many of the games have actually blown up?
Yet the last four record-breaking card matches at the WC have been with UEFA referees. Don't get me wrong, I share the sentiment that UEFA referees are largely head and shoulders above everyone else. But there are plenty of elite referees from other confederations who have made it to WCs and done well. We have had some from the US, even. Do not discount the general idea that EUROs are simply a much more staid/professional setting whereas Copa and similar CONMEBOL competitions aren't. Culture has much, much, much more to do with the vast majority of stuff you see at this tournament than refereeing itself does. Sure, there have been some weird things. And some bad things. But that's just a fraction of things. Toss Kovacs or Makkellie or Taylor into one of these matches and it's not necessarily a recipe for a blanket makeover.