United States v Australia referee: who is Felix Zwayer?

After the United States men’s national team’s dominant 4-1 victory over Paraguay in its opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, all eyes have turned to its second match in Group D. The United States will face Australia on Friday, June 19 on FOX at 3 p.m. ET (broadcast on FOX One). The winner of this match would officially advance to the knockout stage, and a United States victory, combined with a Paraguay victory or a draw against Turkey, would clinch the group on Friday. So who is the referee in this crucial match? German official Felix Zwayer will officiate in Friday’s Group D showdown. He is one of UEFA’s most experienced referees and a figure who has remained in the spotlight throughout his career. Zwayer has been a FIFA-listed referee for over a decade and is currently classified in UEFA’s elite category. He referees for SC Charlottenburg through the Berlin Football Association and has taken part in some of the biggest matches in international football. Although Friday’s match will be Zwayer’s first assignment as head referee at the World Cup, he is no stranger to major tournaments. He was previously a video assistant referee (VAR) at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Despite his long career, Zwayer’s career has long been linked to the match-fixing scandal that rocked German football in 2005. The controversy centered around referee Robert Hoyzer, who admitted to taking bribes to manipulate matches. According to reports, Zwayer helped Hoyzer during a match and accepted a payment of 300 euros as part of the scandal. He received a six-month suspension. The controversy resurfaced in 2021 following a heated Bundesliga match between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. After Dortmund suffered a controversial defeat, then-Dortmund star Jude Bellingham publicly referenced Zwayer’s past. “You give a referee who fixed the match before the biggest match in Germany, what do you expect?” Bellingham said after the game. Now, with the world watching, Zwayer will be the referee on Friday in Seattle as the United States looks to make history.