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Glen Williams

Who is Wales v Iran referee Mario Escobar and the assistant whose name could bode well for the Welsh

Wales take on Iran in their second game at the World Cup.

The clash takes place at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium and will kick-off at 10am on Friday, November 25.

Here, we take you through the referee and officials who will be in charge of the match.

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Who is the referee for Wales v Iran?

Mario Escobar will be the man in the middle when Wales take the pitch against Iran.

He is 36 years old and currently officiates in the Guatemalan first division. He has been a FIFA-registered referee since 2013.

His first exposure to major international competition came when he whistled the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup as well as the Under-17 FIFA World Cup in 2019.

Escobar took charge of the 2019 Gold Cup final between Mexico and the USA, with the former winning 1-0 in the final at Soldier Field in Chicago.

In 2020, he was asked to referee the CONCACAF Champions League final between Mexican side Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León and Los Angeles FC, now Gareth Bale's team. The Mexican side one that one.

Who are the assistant referees for Wales v Iran?

Well, for those who believe in this type of thing, the name of one of the assistant referees could be interpreted as a good omen for the Welsh.

Trinidadian Caleb Wales will run one of the lines in Al Rayyan on Friday. A quite fantastic name, if you are from this little corner of the world. The 34-year-old will fulfil a dream by taking part in this match, having written on his LinkedIn page: "My target is to participate in world-class matches, tournaments, and events while traveling the world."

He has been an assistant for CONCACAF World Cup qualifying matches as well as Gold Cup matches.

The other assistant is Juan Carlos Mora Araya , the 33-year-old Costa Rican. He ran the line at the last World Cup in Russia, Sweden's 1-0 win over South Korea, Gold Cup matches as well as Panama's 2-1 win over Bolivia in the 2016 Copa America.

Wales v Iran referee, assistant and VAR list in full

Referee: Mario Escobar (GUA)

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)

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