Brazilian refereeing will have its second representative on the field at the World Cup next Monday (15), with Ramon Abatti Abel. The Santa Catarina native was selected to referee Belgium x Egypt, in Seattle, in the first round of Group G. The ball starts at 4pm (Brasília time).
The designation comes days after Wilton Pereira Sampaio attracted attention at the opening of the tournament. In the game between Mexico and South Africa, the referee from Goiás sent off three players, was one red card away from equaling the total number of expulsions for the entire 2022 World Cup and was dubbed a “legend” by fans on social media.
Raphael Claus, still without a scheduled debut date, completes the trio of Brazilians selected as main referees at the World Cup.
At 36 years old, Ramon will make his World Cup debut. Born in Turvo, in the south of Santa Catarina, he will become the first referee from Santa Catarina to command a match in the tournament.
Despite his World Cup debut, Ramon already has experience in international tournaments. A member of the FIFA team since 2023, he was the first Brazilian referee to referee an Olympic men’s football final, in the decision between Spain and France at the Paris-2024 Games. The following year, he worked at the Club World Cup held in the United States.
The arbitration team will also have Brazilian assistants Danilo Manis and Rafael Alves. Peruvian Kevin Ortega will be the fourth referee, while Michael Orue will act as VAR.
In the last two years, Ramon Abatti Abel has been involved in episodes of repercussion in Brazilian arbitration.
In October 2024, he was removed by the CBF after the match between Palmeiras and Fortaleza, for the Brazilian Championship. Fortaleza questioned the awarding of penalties during the game played at Allianz Parque.
In May 2025, he was denounced by the STJD Attorney’s Office (Superior Court of Sports Justice) for not correctly applying the new goalkeeper ball throw-in rule during Palmeiras x Botafogo. During the play, goalkeeper John spent around 20 seconds with the ball in his hands without the count being started immediately by the referee.
Months later, the STJD suspended Ramon Abatti Abel for 40 days for errors highlighted in the classic between São Paulo and Palmeiras. The court understood that there were errors in not awarding a penalty and in not expulsion of players involved in plays in the match. Before the punishment, he had already been removed by the CBF for training.
