:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71672684/1369557845.0.jpg "Netherlands vs. Ecuador: Who is the referee for Group A match in 2022 World Cup?")
The top two teams in Group A face off on Friday in their second match of the World Cup group stage. The Netherlands and Ecuador face off at Khalifa International Stadium in Ar-Rayyan. The match kicks off at 11 a.m. ET and will air on FOX.
The match will be led by an Algerian officiating crew, with Mustapha Ghorbal serving as the referee. He has been a full international referee since 2014, but this is his first World Cup. His past international experience includes the FIFA Club World Cup, the Under-20 World Cup, and the Arab Cup. This year, he served in one match at the CA Confederation Cup where he gave out three yellow cards and the CAF-Supercup where he gave out four yellow cards, including one resulting in a penalty kick.
Netherlands is a -130 favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook in their second World Cup match. Ecuador is a +390 underdog and a draw is installed at +270. The Dutch squad beat Senegal 2-0 in the first round of games while Ecuador beat Qatar 2-0. The Netherlands is -500 to win the group and -10000 to just advance to the knockout stage while Ecuador is +350 to win the group and -280 to advance.
Total cards for Friday's match is set at 3.5 with the over priced at -135 and the under at +100. Ghorbal's officiating crew for the match will include the following, with roles and nationalities included (h/t Law 5 – The Referee):
- Assistant Referee 1: Mokrane Gourari (ALG)
- Assistant Referee 2: Abdelhak Etchial (ALG)
- Fourth Official: Said Martinez (HON)
- Reserve Assistant Referee: Helpys Raymundo Feliz (DOM)
- Video Assistant Referee: Shaun Evans (AUS)
- Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Redouane Jiyed (MOR)
- Offside Video Assistant Referee: Ashley Beecham (AUS)
- Support Video Assistant Referee: Muhammad Bin Jahari (SIN)
- Standby Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Anton Shchetinin (AUS)