The International Football Federation (FIFA) has appointed Dutch referee Danny Makkelie to officiate the match between Morocco and Haiti, scheduled for June 24 at the Atlanta Stadium, as part of the third and final round of the group stage of the 2026 World Cup.
Makkelie will be assisted in this encounter by his fellow countrymen Hessel Steegstra and Jan de Vries, while Portuguese João Pinheiro will serve as the fourth official, and his compatriot Bruno Jesus will take on the duties of the reserve assistant referee.
The “Atlas Lions” approach this match in a comfortable position, having drawn with Brazil (1-1) in the first round and won against Scotland (1-0) in the second round.
The Moroccan team shares the lead in Group Three with the Brazilian team, each having earned four points, thus placing itself in a good position within the race for qualification to the next round.
Referee
Makkelie began his professional refereeing career in 2005 but started officiating Dutch league matches four years after his debut, taking on the international referee badge in 2011 and subsequently participating in many major football events.
In 2018, Makkelie was selected as an official for the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system and officiated several matches in the 2018 World Cup, before continuing his presence in the World Cup, where he officiated the matches between Spain and Germany and between Poland and Argentina in the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
The Dutch Makkelie works alongside “refereeing” in the Dutch police and is currently forty-three years old.
