Who is the referee for Wales vs. Iran Group B match?

The second round of group stage matches gets underway at the 2022 World Cup on Friday. The day’s slate opens with Wales and Iran playing their Group B match. The match kicks off at 5 a.m. ET inside Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan. It will air on FS1.

The match officiating crew will be led by Guatemalan referee Mario Escobar. His most notable refereeing assignments have been at the Gold Cup. Last year, he was the referee for two group stage matches and the Mexico-Honduras quarterfinal. He handed out no yellow cards in one group stage match, one yellow and one red in the other, and five yellows in the quarterfinal. In 2019, he was the referee for a group stage match, the Jamaica-Panama quarterfinal and the Mexico-USA final. He handed out six yellow cards in the group stage match, three in the quarterfinal, and none in the final.

Wales is a +120 favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook in this second World Cup match. Iran is a +265 underdog and a draw is installed at +220. Wales tied the United States in their opener while Iran lost 6-2 to England after losing their goalkeeper to a head injury in the opening minutes.

Total cards for Friday’s match is set at 3.5 with the over priced at -145 and the under at +105. Escobar’s officiating crew for the match will include the following, with roles and nationalities included (h/t Law 5 - The Referee):

• Assistant Referee 1: Caleb Wales (TRI)
• Assistant Referee 2: Juan Carlos Mora Araya (CRC)
• Fourth Official: Maguette N’Diaye (SEN)
• Reserve Assistant Referee: Djibril Camara (SEN)
• Video Assistant Referee: Drew Fischer (CAN)
• Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Fernando Guerrero (MEX)
• Offside Video Assistant Referee: Nicolas Taran (URU)
• Support Video Assistant Referee: Adil Zourak (MOR)
• Standby Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Bruno Pires (BRA)