Referees Around the World

Discover where this year’s Referee Abroad officials come from

Every season, Referee Abroad brings together referees from across continents, creating one of the most international refereeing environments in youth football. This page celebrates the countries represented by our officials in 2026.

44

Countries Represented

1000+

International Referees

6

Continents

GLOBAL FOOTPRINT

A Worldwide Refereeing Community

Referee Abroad brings together match officials from across continents, creating a unique international environment where referees share experiences, cultures, languages, and football traditions.

2026 BY THE NUMBERS

Most Represented Countries This Year

Our 2026 referee community brings together officials from across the world, with several countries playing a particularly strong role in this year’s international tournament season.

#1 Most Represented

🇮🇹 Italy

215 referees

#2 Most Represented

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England

99 referees

#3 Most Represented

🇩🇪 Germany

62 referees

🇫🇷 France

39 referees

🇪🇸 Spain

28 referees

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland

25 referees

COUNTRIES REPRESENTED

Every Flag in Our 2026 Community

From first-time participants to long-standing Referee Abroad countries, every flag represents a referee, a story, and a contribution to our international community.

🇦🇩 Andorra

🇦🇷 Argentina

🇦🇺 Australia

🇦🇹 Austria

🇧🇾 Belarus

🇧🇪 Belgium

🇨🇦 Canada

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🇭🇷 Croatia

🇨🇿 Czechia

🇨🇾 Cyprus

🇩🇰 Denmark

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England

🇫🇴 Faroe Islands

🇫🇮 Finland

🇫🇷 France

🇩🇪 Germany

🇬🇮 Gibraltar

🇬🇷 Greece

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇭🇺 Hungary

🇮🇸 Iceland

🇮🇪 Ireland

🇮🇹 Italy

🇯🇵 Japan

🇱🇻 Latvia

🇱🇹 Lithuania

🇲🇩 Moldova

🇳🇱 Netherlands

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁮󠁩󠁲󠁿 N. Ireland

🇳🇴 Norway

🇵🇱 Poland

🇵🇹 Portugal

🇷🇴 Romania

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland

🇸🇰 Slovakia

🇸🇮 Slovenia

🇰🇷 South Korea

🇪🇸 Spain

🇸🇪 Sweden

🇨🇭 Switzerland

🇹🇷 Türkiye

🇺🇸 USA

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Wales

GLOBAL REFEREEING COMMUNITY

One Game. One Community. 45 Countries.

Every season, Referee Abroad connects referees from different football cultures, languages, and backgrounds through international tournaments and shared international experiences.

80+

Countries Represented Over the Years

Referees from every continent have participated in Referee Abroad tournaments throughout our history.

28 Nationalities at Gothia Cup

One of the most international referee environments of the entire 2026 season.

3 New Nations in 2026

Welcoming first-time referees from new countries into the Referee Abroad community.

What referees are saying about us

       EXCELLENT  
   Based on 16 reviews 
    
 
 
 
   
 
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Piero de Nicolo 
 17 September 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. A fantastic experience with Referee Abroad, thanks to the opportunity to take part in both the Donosti Cup and the Porto International Cup. Two international tournaments that provided an extraordinary opportunity for both refereeing and personal growth.

The professionalism and excellent organisation, together with the opportunity to interact with referees and football communities from different countries, made both experiences truly unique.

I highly recommend Referee Abroad to any referee looking to develop, challenge themselves and experience international football. ⚽️🌍
  
 
     Posted on Google  
   
   Bajat Omeirat 
 8 August 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. It was the best experience of my life.
  
 
     Posted on Google  
   
   Matthew Day 
 26 March 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
  
 
     Posted on Google  
   
   Lee Stevens 
 23 December 2025
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Totally fabulous way to spend a week refereeing international youth football with like minded officials, cannot recommend highly enough to referees of all ages.
Life time friendships made
  
 
     Posted on Google  
   
   Cloud Zheng 
 23 December 2025
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
  
 
     Posted on Google  
   
   Emil Jacobsson 
 22 December 2025
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Great experience, awesome community and fun off-days aswell as good games
  
 
     Posted on Google  
   
   shaheen_gs 
 21 December 2025
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
  
 
     Posted on Google  
   
   Jamie Foster 
 1 December 2025
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. +2
Referee Abroad has been an outstanding experience from start to finish. The entire organisation has a real family feel, and you’re made to feel welcome from the moment you arrive. Everyone—staff, mentors, and fellow referees—is incredibly friendly, supportive, and always willing to help you grow.

Despite the warm atmosphere, the setup is also very professional. The communication is clear, the organisation is well structured, and the feedback you receive is genuinely useful for improving your refereeing. The tournaments are run smoothly and you always feel looked after both on and off the pitch.

Whether you’re a new referee looking to build confidence or someone with experience wanting to challenge yourself in a different environment, Referee Abroad is a fantastic opportunity. It’s rare to find a programme that combines professionalism with such an inclusive, family-like community — but this one does exactly that.

Highly recommended.
  
 
     Posted on Google  
   
   Lavinia Curcio 
 1 December 2025
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
  
 
     Posted on Google  
   
   Sanu Joy 
 1 December 2025
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. +3
I enjoyed sharing this experience with young referees , and I also learned a lot from them.