Ma Ning, a Chinese Football Association international referee, will officiate the Group E second-round match between Ecuador and Curaçao at the 2026 World Cup, with Zhou Fei as the first assistant referee. This will be the 999th match in World Cup history.

According to the official WeChat account "Referee Circle," in Chinese culture, 9 represents the greatest yang number, symbolizing supremacy and the peak of achievement; three 9s signify absolute perfection, continuous progress, and good fortune. With such auspicious symbolism, we wish them a successful match!

According to @Referee Circle, the video assistant referee team for this match has not yet been announced. Based on various indications, Fu Ming is likely to serve as the VAR. We hope the Chinese referee team will be "reunited" in this match and make history for Chinese referees.

Romanian referee István Kovács will officiate the Tunisia vs Japan match, which will be the 1000th match in World Cup history. He has received a custom referee uniform with a "1000" logo from Collina and will wear this special uniform to officiate the match.