Who is the referee for New Zealand vs Egypt?

Group G is shaping up as one of the more interesting quartets at this summer’s World Cup.

None of the four sides have dazzled yet in a highly competitive group that also contains Belgium and Iran, who met earlier on Sunday.

That sets the stage for one of New Zealand or Egypt to put themselves in command with a game still to play and a place in the knockout rounds at stake.

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Who is the referee for New Zealand vs Egypt?

Kick off is set for 8pm local time (2am UK time) at BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Egypt were pegged back to a 1-1 draw against Belgium in their opening game, while New Zealand twice took the lead against Iran only to end up sharing a 2-2 stalemate.

The referee for this game will be Omar Al Ali, who is taking charge of his first ever World Cup game.

The 38 year old from the United Arab Emirates has been refereeing on the international stage since 2015.

Al Ali is a regular presence in the UAE Pro League and in the AFC Champions League, and served as a back-up official at last summer’s Club World Cup.

Running the lines are fellow Emirati Mohamed Al-Hammadi and Qatar’s Taleb Al-Marri.

Peruvians Kevin Ortega and Michael Orue will be the fourth official and reserve referee, respectively.

Heading up the VAR is another official from the UAE, Mohammed Khamid.

Assisting him in the booth is the involuntarily twitchy Shaun Evans, who hails from Australia. We’re sure the Kiwis are delighted with that.

American Armando Villarreal round out the lineup as the support VAR.