Chinese match officials marked a new World Cup milestone on Saturday as Ma Ning, Zhou Fei and Fu Ming were assigned to the Group E match between Ecuador and Curacao.

Ma delivered a solid performance as the match referee in the 0-0 draw at Kansas City Stadium, issuing one yellow card to Ecuador and five to Curacao.

It represented the most significant World Cup involvement by Chinese match officials in more than two decades.

Ma became the first Chinese referee to take charge of a match in football's showpiece since 2002. Zhou served as an assistant referee, while Fu worked as a video assistant referee.

"The selected match officials are the very best in the world," FIFA's chief refereeing officer Pierluigi Collina said when the tournament officials were named.

FIFA's decision to appoint three Chinese officials to the same match underlined the progress made by the country's referees in recent years.

Football's global governing body appointed 52 referees, 88 assistant referees and 30 video match officials for the 2026 World Cup.

Those selected came from all six confederations and 50 member associations, making it the largest refereeing team in World Cup history.

FIFA said the selection process lasted more than three years and followed its "quality first" principle.

Candidates were assessed at FIFA tournaments, international matches and domestic competitions. Their consistency, fitness, health and match management were also monitored.

Collina said the officials had attended seminars and worked at FIFA events before the final list was chosen.

"Their performances in domestic and international matches were regularly assessed," he said.

FIFA director of refereeing Massimo Busacca said preparations began after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Busacca said candidates were evaluated by instructors, fitness coaches, doctors and physiotherapists during a structured program of seminars, workshops and monitoring.

For Asian referees, the final phase included a seminar in Doha involving officials from Asia, Africa and Oceania.

FIFA said those sessions included fitness and medical checks, theoretical work and practical exercises designed to mirror match situations.

The preparation has become more demanding as World Cup officiating has grown more technical.

At the 2026 tournament, officials are using goal-line technology, semi-automated offside technology and connected ball technology.

The video assistant referee system also places greater pressure on communication and decision-making across the whole team.

For China, Saturday's match continued a steady rise in high-level appointments.

Ma and Fu both worked at FIFA's expanded Club World Cup in 2025. Ma, Fu, Zhou and Zhang Cheng were also part of the Chinese team that officiated the 2024 AFC Asian Cup final in Qatar.

Ma's selection for a second straight World Cup underlined his standing among Asian referees.

At the 2022 World Cup, he served as a fourth official. In 2026, he moved into the center for one of football's biggest stages.

Fu's role was also significant as he became the first Chinese official to work as a video assistant referee at a World Cup.

For Zhou, the match marked a breakthrough of his own as he earned the distinction of being the first Chinese assistant referee to take an on-field role at a World Cup.

The trio's involvement in the Ecuador-Curacao match showed that Chinese referees are now trusted across the full officiating structure.

It also gave them a chance to strengthen their case for further assignments later in the tournament.

For Chinese football, the moment was not about one appointment alone. It was evidence that its referees have moved deeper into FIFA's elite system.