Who is referee for Argentina v Switzerland? Official revealed after claims of Lionel Messi ‘bias’

Argentina’s World Cup quarter-final clash with Switzerland will be officiated by a Portuguese referee.

The holders head to Kansas City aiming to book their place in the semi-finals.

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Victory over Switzerland would see Lionel Scaloni’s men face a mouthwatering clash against either Norway or England in Atlanta on Wednesday evening.

Argentina were given a huge fright in their last-16 clash against Egypt and, for much of the match, it looked as though they were heading out of the competition.

After finding themselves 2-0 down, Argentina staged an incredible late comeback with goals from Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernandez sending them through by the skin of their teeth.

The win did not come without controversy, though, as Egypt saw a superb second-half goal chalked off after VAR spotted a foul in the build up.

And that led to Egypt coach Hossam Hassan claiming ‘external factors’ played a role in his side’s exit.

He said: “We looked better than the reigning champions – better in everything – but the result was influenced by internal factors on the pitch and external factors off it.

“Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running.

“In football, there are sometimes external factors that go beyond the technical aspects. The world champion received support at every level.

“There seems to be pressure from the Argentina side on this outcome. We were objecting to the selection of the referee because of the French situation [Argentina beat France in the 2022 World Cup final], but everybody had to suffer at some point and we suffered.”

Meanwhile, Switzerland’s win over Colombia was just as crucial but without anywhere near as much drama.

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Murat Yakin’s side played out a goalless draw with the South American team but managed to edge past them 4-3 on penalties, and did so without injured top scorer Johan Manzambi.

Who will referee Argentina vs Switzerland?

João Pinheiro will be the man with the whistle for the match at Arrowhead Stadium, scheduled to kick off on Saturday at 8pm (local), 2am Sunday morning UK time – live on talkSPORT.

The Portuguese official will have a team of compatriots by his side in Bruno Jesus and Luciano Maia.

They will be accompanied by fourth official Drew Fischer and reserve assistant referee Michael Barwegen, both from Canada.

It is Pinheiro’s third time officiating at a World Cup.

He took charge of the group-stage clash between Switzerland and Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 18.

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And the Swiss will hope it will prove to be a good omen as they ran out 4-1 winners that day.

Pinheiro was also the man in the middle for Canada’s 1-0 win over South Africa.

Dizzy heights

Switzerland’s last World Cup quarter-final came way back in 1954 when they were beaten 7-5 by Austria.

Their run to the last eight will have come as no surprise to anyone that has kept close tabs on Yakin’s side.

Switzerland have lost just once in their last 19 international fixtures since suffering a 3-2 nations league defeat to Spain in November 2024.

That one loss came in the form of a 4-3 friendly defeat to Germany in March, but on the whole Switzerland have been far from leaky.

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Argentina, meanwhile, have been involved in two pulsating knockout ties at the World Cup.

The Albiceleste edged past last-32 opponents Cape Verde last Friday before being taken to their limits against Egypt in midweek.