Set to make his FIFA World Cup debut in 2026, Uzbekistan’s Ilgiz Tantashev heads to the grandest stage in football as one of Asia’s most renowned referees.

FIFA-listed since 2013, the Bukhara-born official has been a regular presence across Asia’s premier competitions over the last decade, appearing in every edition of the AFC Champions League Elite™ since 2015, and six iterations of the AFC Cup™.

Among his many impressive achievements, Tantashev notably officiated four matches in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, before being appointed to the FIFA Club World Cup the following year in 2025.

The 42-year-old has also overseen matches in the 2019 and 2023 AFC Asian Cups, as well as three AFC U23 Asian Cups, and was tasked to oversee the finale of the AFC Champions League Elite™ for a second time in April this year.