_(cropped).jpg/1333px-Drew_Fischer_Portland_Timbers_vs_RSL_2016-09-10_(28990088463)_(cropped).jpg)
Drew Fischer
View on Wikipedia
Drew Fischer (born July 10, 1980) is a Canadian soccer referee who officiates in Major League Soccer and was approved for international matches by FIFA in 2015.
Key Information
.jpg)
Background
[edit]Fischer was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta.[1] As a teen in Calgary he began officiating to earn extra money. Fischer has been a professional referee since 2007.[2] He was accredited to first-division games in North America in 2012 and has been FIFA referee since 2015, only one of three Canadians at the time.[2][3][4] He has a degree in physics from the University of Calgary.[5]
Refereeing career
[edit]Domestic
[edit]Fischer has officiated several Canadian Championship matches since 2012. He officiated the finals of the Canadian Championship in 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2025.[1] In 2019, the Canadian Premier League began play and Fischer was one of the referees appointed during the inaugural season.[1]
Fisher has been an active referee in Major League Soccer since 2012.[3] He was the referee for the MLS Cup in 2025, and a VAR in 2020 and 2022. He was named the MLS Referee of the Year Award in 2024 and 2025.[6]
International
[edit]After obtaining FIFA status in 2015, Fischer was appointed to referee the 2015 CONCACAF Men's Under-17 Championship and the 2015 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship.[1] Fischer refereed his first CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2017 and has also officiated the tournament in 2021 and 2023.[7] He was also appointed to be a Video Assistant Referee for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France. He was selected for the Club World Cup in 2020, 2021, and 2025. He was assigned as a video match official to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Fischer was a referee at the 2024 Olympic Games, then was selected to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
2026 FIFA World Cup
[edit]Drew Fischer was selected for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America. Fischer and his assistants Lyes Arfa and Michael Barwegen became the first all-Canadian referee crew to officiate a men's World Cup.[8]
In the group stage, Fischer took charge of the match between France and Iraq. He also was the referee for Ghana and Croatia. Fischer was then appointed to a round of 32 knockout match between Cape Verde and Argentina.[9] According to the FIFA rankings, Cape Verde was ranked 64th and Argentina was ranking 2nd. However, the match went to extra time and Argentina escaped with a 3-2 win. [10] Fischer was criticized for holding the taking of a corner kick to allow Argentina's Nicolas Tagliafico to receive treatment and change his shirt.[11] Despite the criticism, Fischer was appointed as the 4th official for the quarterfinal between Argentina and Switzerland. [12]
| Competition | Year(s) |
|---|---|
| Canadian Interuniversity Sport National Final | 2011, 2013 |
| Amway Canadian Championship Final | 2012, 2013 |
| CONCACAF Men's U17 Championship | 2015 |
| CONCACAF Gold Cup[13] | 2017 |
| FIFA Men's World Cup Qualifying | 2018 |
| FIFA Men's U17 World Cup, Brazil[14] | 2019 |
| FIFA Women's World Cup, France [VAR][15] | |
| FIFA Club World Cup, Qatar[16] | 2020 |
| MLS Cup Final [VAR][17] | |
| Concacaf Nations League Final [VAR][18] | 2021 |
| FIFA Club World Cup, UAE [VAR][19] | |
| CONCACAF Gold Cup Final [VAR] [20] | |
| FIFA Men's World Cup Qualifying | 2022 |
| FIFA World Cup, Qatar [VAR] | |
| CONCACAF League Final (1st Leg)[21] | |
| MLS Cup Final [VAR][22] | |
| CONCACAF Gold Cup | 2023 |
| Olympic Games | 2024 |
| FIFA Club World Cup | 2025 |
| MLS Cup Final | |
| FIFA World Cup, North America | 2026 |
Honours
[edit]- MLS Referee of the Year Award: 2024, 2025[23]
- Ray Morgan Memorial Award: 2022, 2023
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Canada Soccer". www.canadasoccer.com. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
- ^ a b "Calgarian now qualified to ref soccer at FIFA World Cup, Olympics - CBC News". Retrieved May 11, 2018.
- ^ a b "Profiles: Drew Fischer". proreferees.com. Professional Referee Organization.
- ^ "Referees: Canada". FIFA. Archived from the original on June 18, 2007.
- ^ Thibeault, Marie-Hélène (June 17, 2015). "Physics alumnus scores international soccer referee job". Archived from the original on May 17, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
- ^ "MLS Awards Roll of Honor". Retrieved July 11, 2026.
- ^ "Match Officials Announced for Gold Cup". www.goldcup.org. Archived from the original on April 7, 2019. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
- ^ "World Cup 2026: First all-Canadian officiating crew makes history". VOV5.VN. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
- ^ read, Pranav Venkatesh·3 min (July 4, 2026). "Fans Question FIFA Referee's Decision to Break Rule for Argentina's Injured Player at World Cup". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "What is Cape Verde's current FIFA ranking ahead of its 2026 World Cup match vs Argentina?". World Soccer Talk. July 3, 2026. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
- ^ read, Pranav Venkatesh·3 min (July 4, 2026). "Fans Question FIFA Referee's Decision to Break Rule for Argentina's Injured Player at World Cup". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Hernandez, Victoria. "Who are the referees for Argentina vs Switzerland World Cup game?". USA TODAY. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
- ^ "Drew Fischer – Professional Referee Organization ®". Retrieved November 3, 2022.
- ^ "Match officials for FIFA U-17 World Cup Brazil 2019 appointed". [www.fifa.com](https://www.fifa.com). Retrieved November 3, 2022.
- ^ "2022 MLS Cup crew confirmed – Professional Referee Organization ®". November 2, 2022. Archived from the original on November 2, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
- ^ "2022 MLS Cup crew confirmed – Professional Referee Organization ®". November 2, 2022. Archived from the original on November 2, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
- ^ "2022 MLS Cup crew confirmed – Professional Referee Organization ®". November 2, 2022. Archived from the original on November 2, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
- ^ "2022 MLS Cup crew confirmed – Professional Referee Organization ®". November 2, 2022. Archived from the original on November 2, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
- ^ "2022 MLS Cup crew confirmed – Professional Referee Organization ®". November 2, 2022. Archived from the original on November 2, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
- ^ "2021 Concacaf Gold Cup Final: USA 1 - Mexico 0 | Match Report, Stats & Bracket". ussoccer.com. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
- ^ "2022 Scotiabank Concacaf League Referees Appointments Final first leg match". Concacaf. October 24, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
- ^ "2022 MLS Cup crew confirmed – Professional Referee Organization ®". November 2, 2022. Archived from the original on November 2, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
- ^ "Drew Fischer Named MLS Referee of the Year, Cory Richardson Earns MLS Assistant Referee of the Year Accolades". Major League Soccer. October 24, 2025. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
External links
[edit]- Drew Fischer at the Professional Referee Organization (archive)
- Drew Fischer at WorldReferee.com
.svg){kind=small}  | This biographical article relating to Canadian soccer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |
 | This biographical article about a football official is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |