Norwegian Referee Espen Eskås Removed From 2026 World Cup After Portugal-Croatia Match

Norwegian referee Espen Eskås, who officiated the intense Portugal versus Croatia match in the Round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup, has been dismissed from further tournament duties. The decision was made by FIFA's referees committee chairman, legendary Pierluigi Collina. Eskås faced heavy scrutiny during the match due to multiple corrections by the VAR team, which caused significant delays.

The match's dramatic peak occurred in the 13th minute of added time when Croatia appeared to equalize 2-2. However, the goal was disallowed after the Connected Ball system detected a minimal touch by Igor Matanović before the ball reached his teammate, ruling the goal offside. Despite criticism, some international refereeing experts defended Eskås, stating he acted according to the rules.

There is speculation that Eskås's removal may not be solely due to his performance in this game. Typically, European referees do not officiate matches involving European teams against teams from other continents, and Norway remains in the competition, limiting his potential assignments. It is possible Collina decided Eskås would not be assigned to the tournament's decisive stages regardless of the match events. Nonetheless, the controversy surrounding Eskås since the Portugal-Croatia game likely influenced the decision.