Drew Fischer

Drew Fischer
Fischer in 2026
Born (1980-07-10) July 10, 1980 (age 46)
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Domestic
Years League Role
2012– Major League Soccer Referee
2019– Canadian Premier League Referee
International
Years League Role
2015– FIFA listed Referee
2021– FIFA listed Video Assistant Referee

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.

Background

Fischer was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta. As a teen in Calgary he began officiating to earn extra money. Fischer has been a professional referee since 2007. 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. He has a degree in physics from the University of Calgary.

Refereeing career

Domestic

Fischer has officiated several Canadian Championship matches since 2012. He officiated the finals of the Canadian Championship in 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2025. In 2019, the Canadian Premier League began play and Fischer was one of the referees appointed during the inaugural season.

Fisher has been an active referee in Major League Soccer since 2012. 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.

International

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. Fischer refereed his first CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2017 and has also officiated the tournament in 2021 and 2023. 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

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.

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. 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. Fischer was criticized for holding the taking of a corner kick to allow Argentina's Nicolas Tagliafico to receive treatment and change his shirt. Despite the criticism, Fischer was appointed as the 4th official for the quarterfinal between Argentina and Switzerland.

High-profile tournaments and matches
CompetitionYear(s)
Canadian Interuniversity Sport National Final2011, 2013
Amway Canadian Championship Final2012, 2013
CONCACAF Men's U17 Championship2015
CONCACAF Gold Cup 2017
FIFA Men's World Cup Qualifying2018
FIFA Men's U17 World Cup, Brazil 2019
FIFA Women's World Cup, France [VAR]
FIFA Club World Cup, Qatar 2020
MLS Cup Final [VAR]
Concacaf Nations League Final [VAR] 2021
FIFA Club World Cup, UAE [VAR]
CONCACAF Gold Cup Final [VAR]
FIFA Men's World Cup Qualifying 2022
FIFA World Cup, Qatar [VAR]
CONCACAF League Final (1st Leg)
MLS Cup Final [VAR]
CONCACAF Gold Cup 2023
Olympic Games 2024
FIFA Club World Cup 2025
MLS Cup Final
FIFA World Cup, North America 2026

Honours

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Canada Soccer". www.canadasoccer.com. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Calgarian now qualified to ref soccer at FIFA World Cup, Olympics - CBC News". Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Profiles: Drew Fischer". proreferees.com. Professional Referee Organization.
  4. ↑ "Referees: Canada". FIFA. Archived from the original on June 18, 2007.
  5. ↑ 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.
  6. ↑ "MLS Awards Roll of Honor". Retrieved July 11, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Match Officials Announced for Gold Cup". www.goldcup.org. Archived from the original on April 7, 2019. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
  8. ↑ "World Cup 2026: First all-Canadian officiating crew makes history". VOV5.VN. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
  9. ↑ 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)
  10. ↑ "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.
  11. ↑ 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)
  12. ↑ Hernandez, Victoria. "Who are the referees for Argentina vs Switzerland World Cup game?". USA TODAY. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Drew Fischer – Professional Referee Organization ®". Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Match officials for FIFA U-17 World Cup Brazil 2019 appointed". [www.fifa.com](https://www.fifa.com). Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  15. ↑ "2022 MLS Cup crew confirmed – Professional Referee Organization ®". November 2, 2022. Archived from the original on November 2, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  16. ↑ "2022 MLS Cup crew confirmed – Professional Referee Organization ®". November 2, 2022. Archived from the original on November 2, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  17. ↑ "2022 MLS Cup crew confirmed – Professional Referee Organization ®". November 2, 2022. Archived from the original on November 2, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  18. ↑ "2022 MLS Cup crew confirmed – Professional Referee Organization ®". November 2, 2022. Archived from the original on November 2, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  19. ↑ "2022 MLS Cup crew confirmed – Professional Referee Organization ®". November 2, 2022. Archived from the original on November 2, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  20. ↑ "2021 Concacaf Gold Cup Final: USA 1 - Mexico 0 | Match Report, Stats & Bracket". ussoccer.com. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
  21. ↑ "2022 Scotiabank Concacaf League Referees Appointments Final first leg match". Concacaf. October 24, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  22. ↑ "2022 MLS Cup crew confirmed – Professional Referee Organization ®". November 2, 2022. Archived from the original on November 2, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  23. ↑ "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.