From left to right, assistant referee Lyes Arfa, fourth official Juan Gabriel Benitez, referee Drew Fischer and Assistant referee Micheal Barwegen prior to a 2025 FIFA Club World Cup match. Arfa, Fischer and Barwegen are all Canadian and are working in this year's World Cup.Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Drew Fischer is no stranger to packed soccer stadiums.
But the 45-year-old referee from Calgary knows there are a lot more eyes on him than just those in the stands at the FIFA World Cup.
“There’s a billion behind that at some of these games,” he said.
Fischer takes it all in stride, however.
“All of us at this point are used to the big crowds, to some extent,” he explained. “You get used to those atmospheres. We’ve all seen them in various stages. None of it’s quite like the World Cup, but it’s similar.
“For me, I very rarely have nerves during the game. There’s no time.”
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The nerves come in the lead-up to the game. “But the nerves also keep you sharp and it’s what keeps you ready to go.”
Fischer said his “emotional rush” peaks as he walks out on the field with the teams.
“That’s when you feel the energy [of the stadium]. And as soon as I blow the whistle, I can feel that energy kind of drop off and just get into a comfort zone after that.”
Fischer has trusted help at the 48-team tournament in the form of fellow Canadians Lyes Arfa and Micheal Barwegen as his assistant referees.
It makes for a special World Cup.
Fischer worked last season's MLS final, which featured Lionel Messi (pictured) and Inter Miami CF taking on the Vancouver Whitecaps.Rich Storry/Getty Images
“Having a full [Canadian] trio for the first time and having it in our backyard is obviously kind of different from anything anybody’s gotten to do before,” Fischer said.
Fischer was the fourth official for Monday’s game in Miami between Saudi Arabia and Uruguay while Barwegen served as the reserve assistant referee.
While the three Canadians have worked together internationally for the last three years, including at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and 2024 Paris Olympics, they have not always been a trio domestically. Geography often plays a part in such assignments.
But this season, the three saw action together in Major League Soccer because of the coming World Cup.
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Barwegen and Arfa say Fischer is easy to work with. Unflappable, he always comes across as the adult in the room.
“He’s a very calm individual when the world is basically in flames around him,” said Barwegen, who when not running the sideline doubles as a high school math teacher in Coalhurst, Alta.
“He is a student of the game and he is actually really good at deciphering the big picture on the field around him,” he added.
“Because of his experience, his reputation, he has a lot of respect from the players,” said Arfa, a partner in a Quebec City law firm. “It makes games easier in a certain way.”
Fischer, showing a yellow card to Botafogo's Gregore at last year's Club World Cup, said the nerves ramp up before a match, but once he whistles a game into play, he settles into his work.Gregory Bull/The Associated Press
Fischer’s resume is impressive. Named MLS referee of the year last season for the second time in a row, he was in charge of the 2025 MLS Cup, which saw Inter Miami defeat the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1.
It’s his first World Cup as a referee, although he has experience at the soccer showcase as a video assistant referee. Fischer worked 11 matches at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar (eight as a VAR, two as an assistant VAR and one as a support VAR).
He also worked as a VAR at the women’s World Cup (in 2019 and 2023) and FIFA Club World Cup (in 2020 and 2021).
His focus internationally switched to the referee role after Qatar.
Already fluent in French, Fischer has worked on his Spanish in recent years to help communication in CONCACAF. One of FIFA’s six confederations, CONCACAF covers North and Central America and the Caribbean.
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This time, FIFA’s tournament original officiating crew included 52 referees, 88 assistant referees and 30 video match officials, drawn from all six confederations and 50 member associations. The list includes six female officials.
Somali referee Omar Artan did not make it to the tournament, as he was denied entry to the United States.
The expanded 104-match tournament jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States has made for the largest officiating crew in World Cup history, with 41 more match officials than in Qatar.
“It’s going to be non-stop games,” said Fischer. “There’s days with six games so it’s just this kind of flood of football coming at you.”
In a Canadian-content-heavy moment, Fischer steps in to break up a pushing match between Toronto FC defender Richie Laryea (22) and CF Montreal midfielder Olger Escobar (29) in a match at Toronto's BMO Field.Dan Hamilton/Reuters
The officials arrived in Miami on May 31 for a preparation camp ahead of the tournament. Fischer expected an intense 10 days in camp given “it’s the last window to get all of the officials on the same page.”
Referees, assistant referees and support staff are based in Miami during the tournament, flying out to their assigned games. Video match officials have relocated to Dallas, home to the International Broadcast Centre.
Officials usually only get two days’ notice of their match assignments, with perhaps more lead time in case of a distant venue. That means a “crash course” in homework, Fischer said, although officials have long been preparing for the tournament.
Understanding a team’s tendencies is one thing. Figuring out how two sides might combine on the pitch is another. The officials will have their own coaches at the tournament to help them figure out what to expect.
“They sit down with us as soon as the assignments come out, basically, and walk though tactical approaches and key players for the teams and what their approach is to things like set pieces,” said Fischer. “All with the aim of giving us as much advance information as we can [get] so that we can predict where we need to be on the field, what we need to be paying attention to.”
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Knowing how a striker likes to play, for example, helps the referee predict the best positioning when that team attacks.
“Everything comes down to a game of inches,” said Fischer. “The number of times where two yards makes all the difference in the world for what you’re able to see. So if you can get there and make those two yards up, you’re going to be in a better spot.”
Knowing if a team is possession-based or very direct will also affect the referee’s position. If a team likes to play the long ball, the official will look to be much farther up the field.
“That’s where the homework’s useful,” said Fischer, who was one of the officiating candidates invited to a FIFA camp in January in Rio de Janeiro.
Fischer says he's recognized in many Spanish-speaking nations, where CONCACAF passions run deep.Godofredo A. Vásquez/The Associated Press
The Canadian officials already know which games they will not be working at the tournament.
“Certainly there’s no chance we’ll be anywhere near Canada,” Fischer said, referencing games involving the Canadian men.
Games involving Canada’s rivals in Group B will also be off-limits. Matches with CONCACAF teams are “possible but extremely unlikely,” according to Fischer.
How far into the tournament the Canadian crew will work will depend on their performance.
“These will be, for almost everybody, the most scrutinized games you’ll ever do,” Fischer said. “There are more eyes on them, there’s more attention paid to them.”
Referees go through individual debriefs after their games with FIFA refereeing officials. There are also daily group sessions to go over key events or developing trends to help officials prepare for their next assignment.
The goal is simple, according to Fischer: “How can we better tomorrow than we were today?”
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Fischer started refereeing at the age of 13 at local games in Calgary, mostly as a way to spend more time on the soccer pitch. He soon discovered he liked it and had a knack for it.
Fast forward to 2007, when Fischer, then in his 20s, joined Canada Soccer’s list of referees and assistant referees. He started working MLS games in 2012 and made FIFA’s international list three years later.
Fischer, who studied physics at the University of Calgary, previously worked as a consultant to Calgary environmental engineering firms, mostly helping with environmental impact assessments for power plants and oil sands developments. While he still does a little consulting on the side, he is a full-time referee.
Being on the world stage means he gets noticed outside the pitch.
“I can’t get off a plane in Mexico or Costa Rica or El Salvador without being recognized at the airport there,” Fischer said. “The places that really love the game definitely pay attention and definitely know who we are.”
The reception, while generally positive arriving at the airport, can turn “slightly more negative” when departing after the game, he acknowledged, tongue-in-cheek.