A predominantly French officiating crew, headed by referee Clement Turpin, has been appointed for the crucial World Cup play-off final between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Italy, scheduled for Tuesday evening.
The Azzurri are set to face Bosnia and Herzegovina in Zenica on Tuesday at 19:45 BST, with a coveted place at the 2026 World Cup tournament at stake.
Gennaro Gattuso’s squad secured their spot in the final by defeating Northern Ireland 2-0, thanks to second-half goals from Sandro Tonali and Moise Kean. In contrast, Bosnia and Herzegovina advanced after a penalty shootout victory against Wales in Cardiff on Thursday night.
Referees Appointed for Italy’s World Cup Play-off Final
The 43-year-old Clement Turpin will be the primary referee for this decisive World Cup play-off final involving Italy and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He will be supported by fellow French assistant referees Nicolas Dagos and Benjamin Pages. The fourth official will be Spain’s Jose Maria Sanchez, while French VAR officials Jerom Brisard and Willy Delajod will provide video assistance.
Notably, Turpin previously officiated Italy’s disappointing 1-0 loss to North Macedonia in the 2022 World Cup play-off semi-final, a result that prevented the Azzurri from participating in that year’s tournament. This history might raise some concerns for the Italian side.
The North Macedonia fixture was one of five previous occasions Turpin has overseen an Italy match. His past engagements include a 3-0 friendly win against Uruguay in 2017, a 2-0 Nations League victory over Poland in 2020, a 3-1 defeat to England during EURO 2024 qualification, and a 3-0 win against Israel in an earlier World Cup qualifier this season.
This season, Turpin has maintained a busy schedule, having refereed 12 Ligue 1 matches, six Champions League fixtures, two Champions League qualifiers, two UAE Pro League games, one Saudi Pro League match, and one Coupe De France tie.
His only involvement with an Italian club this season was Napoli’s 3-2 Champions League defeat against Chelsea.
