Clement Turpin has been appointed to referee England's opening World Cup game against Croatia, scheduled for Wednesday, June 14, 2026 [1, 2, 3].
Turpin has a history of high-profile matches, including officiating the 2021 Europa League final, the 2022 Champions League final, and England’s 0-0 draw with Slovenia at Euro 2024 [1, 2, 3]. However, his tenure has not been without controversy.
In April 2023, Turpin refereed the Champions League quarter-final second leg between Bayern Munich and Manchester City. He issued five yellow cards in the first half and gave Bayern defender Dayot Upamecano a straight red card, which was later overturned by VAR offside review. During the match, Turpin showed Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel two yellow cards, sending him to the stands [1, 2, 3].
Tuchel was highly critical after the game. "Two things couldn't keep up with the level, the pitch wasn't in good condition and also the referee, unfortunately, was Grade E. I'd give him a one out of 10," Tuchel said. "He was absolutely terrible. It's unbelievable at this level. He was whistling for everything and anything. Everything was against us. In the end, we were never in a position to turn things around with three men against us. That's a fact." [1]
Manchester City won the match 1-1 on the day and 4-1 on aggregate to advance [1, 2, 3].
In 2024, Turpin was involved in another incident during a Champions League semi-final where he pushed England midfielder Jude Bellingham away from the penalty area as Bellingham tried to distract Bayern’s Harry Kane. Kane commented, "I'm sure (Bellingham) was saying something to try and put me off but, thankfully, it was OK. I don't know what he was saying. I saw him there mumbling something." [1, 2, 3]
The appointment means Turpin will be one of the key match officials at this year’s World Cup starting later this month. England’s opener against Croatia on June 14 will mark his first referee role of the tournament [1, 2, 3].
