Who is Adham Makhadmeh? The referee for USA vs Belgium

USA vs Belgium is one of the more interesting Round of 16 showdowns, precisely because not many predicted the Americans to make it this far, and also anticipated the Belgian capitulation that has become so common at the World Cup in recent years.

The USMNT have been a far stronger side this tournament, winning three of their games with ease, while Belgium were forced to pull off an all-time comeback to get beyond a dominant Senegal in their Round of 32 fixture.

This is a battle of over and underachievers at the 2026 World Cup, but who will serve as referee for the event?

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Referee appointment for USA vs Belgium

USA vs Belgium will be played at 1am BST in the early hours of Tuesday morning, with the match being held at the Seattle Stadium.

Serving as referee for the event is Jordan’s Adham Makhadmeh, who has officiated three games prior to this face-off at the 2026 World Cup.

Mohammad previously officiated England vs DR Congo, in which the Jordanian did not fall for a clear-cut Harry Kane dive while the Three Lions were trailing 1-0.

He also refereed Belgium’s 5-1 demolition job against New Zealand in the Red Devils’ final Group G game, which left them atop the table standings.

To open his account in North America, Mohammad oversaw Spain’s 0-0 draw with Cape Verde, one of the most historic upsets in World Cup history.

In this tournament, the 39-year-old has averaged just two bookings per game, and is yet to show red or award a spot kick.

The referee is slightly less quick to wield his cards than peers at the tournament, averaging just 3.6 bookings per game in the AFC Champions League Elite.

That competition makes up the bulk of his refereeing experience, showing red nine times and awarding 13 penalties in 58 games.

In World Cup qualifiers and the Arab Cup, his booking average stays the same, at around three per match.

USA vs Belgium is a battle of two teams with disciplinary priors, as both sides have had a man sent off in North America, most recently the USMNT’s Folarin Balogun, who will not feature in the Round of 16 event.