Víctor García Verdura set for FIFA international referee candidacy: Spanish committee must file by October 1

The Spanish Football Federation's Technical Committee of Referees has until October 1 to formalize Víctor García Verdura's international candidacy. FIFA issued a circular to all national federations on September 7 asking them to nominate referees for the 2027 international lists, and the Barcelona-born official is one of two names Spain's refereeing body wants to promote, alongside Andalusian Alejandro Quintero González.

• FIFA opened the nomination window for 2027 international referees on September 7.
• The Spanish referees committee must file paperwork for its two candidates by October 1.
• Víctor García Verdura and Alejandro Quintero would fill the spots left by Cuadra Fernández and Muñiz Ruiz.
• García Verdura turns 32 on October 12 and has already officiated high-profile La Liga derbies.
• If FIFA confirms the nomination, he will earn his international badge on January 1, 2027.

Which FIFA list spots García Verdura and Alejandro Quintero would fill

The two nominated referees would occupy the vacancies left by Guillermo Cuadra Fernández and Alejandro Muñiz Ruiz after they lost international status. The Technical Committee of Referees announced in late June that García Verdura and Quintero were its choices to bring Spanish refereeing back to the ten international spots it has held in both FIFA and UEFA lists.

The promotion marks a significant step in any official's career. From January 1, 2027, they would be eligible to officiate international matches and would wear the FIFA badge on their kits, a distinction reserved for referees representing their federation on the global stage.

FIFA requirements to become an international referee in 2027

The FIFA circular sets clear age and experience conditions. Nominated main referees cannot have been born after December 31, 2001, which means they must be at least 26 years old. For assistant referees, the age limit extends two years further, to December 31, 2003.

Additionally, every candidate must have regularly officiated top-division matches in their national federation for at least two years. García Verdura comfortably meets that standard: he turns 32 on October 12 and has spent several seasons in Spain's elite. Alejandro Quintero, for his part, has just turned 33.

Víctor García Verdura's rise through La Liga

The Catalan referee's growth in Spain's top flight has been exponential. His progression led him last season to officiate one of the most emotionally charged fixtures on the Spanish calendar: the derby between Espanyol and Barcelona at the RCDE Stadium in Cornellà.

That type of appointment confirms the Technical Committee of Referees' trust in an official who now aims to take the definitive step onto the international scene. His candidacy comes backed by an established La Liga career and by the refereeing body's own endorsement, which selected him as one of its two representatives for promotion.

Timeline and what happens after submitting the FIFA candidacy

The Technical Committee of Referees must submit all information about its candidates before October 1. Once the paperwork is sent, FIFA has a maximum of one month to respond to the Spanish federation.

If the international body confirms the nominations, García Verdura and Quintero would debut as international referees on January 1, 2027. With them, Spanish refereeing would recover the ten international spots it has traditionally held in both FIFA and UEFA lists.

Frequently asked questions about García Verdura's international candidacy