U.S. Soccer Referee Josh Wilkens selected for FIFA Futsal World Cup

CHICAGO — U.S .Soccer FIFA Referee Josh Wilkens has been selected as a match official for the 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup in Lithuania. FIFA announced 38 match officials for the tournament, which kicks off Sept. 12 in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Wilkens is one of 32 U.S. Soccer referees that was named to the 2021 FIFA Panel, the world’s highest level of officiating. Selection grants the officials the opportunity to referee at the highest levels of international soccer.

A member of the FIFA Panel since 2019, Wilkens served as a match official at May’s 2021 Concacaf Futsal Championship in Guatemala. The Washington state native is currently in his 23rd year as a referee and has officiated at over 100 professional matches in the United States, as well as the 2014 NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship Final.

Referees from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Panama will also represent Concacaf at the Futsal World Cup. FIFA selects its best match officials from around the world for FIFA competitions.

The U.S. Futsal National Team is returning to the Futsal World Cup for the first time since 2008. After qualifying with a second-place finish at the Concacaf Futsal Championship, the USA is set to face Argentina, Iran and Serbia in Group F play.