(PRIMASPORT) ROME 21 JULY 2026 – The English referee's career comes to an end after more than twenty years Anthony Taylor. The 47-year-old referee announced his retirement from refereeing after refereeing his final match at the 2026 World Cup, citing the intense pressure and constant media exposure that accompany the role of match officials as among the reasons for his decision.
During his career Taylor has refereed 831 matches, of which 432 in the Premier League, becoming one of the most famous referees on the international scene.
The last race at the 2026 World Championships
The last match refereed by the English referee was Spain-Portugal, which ended with a 1-0 victory for the Spanish national team, who went on to become world champions.
Taylor had already taken part in the 2022 World Cup and the 2020 and 2024 European Championships. During Denmark-Finland at Euro 2020 he received praise for his management of the emergency following the illness of Christian Eriksen, helping to coordinate the moments immediately following the rescue intervention.
Memories of the Europa League final
In Italy the name of Anthony Taylor remains linked above all to the final of Europa League 2023 Between Rome e Seville, refereeing that caused strong controversy within the Giallorossi environment.
At the end of the match, lost by Roma on penalties, the then coach Jose Mourinho called Taylor "a disgrace" during the press conference and later confronted him in the parking lot of Puskás Aréna in Budapest. For that incident, the Portuguese coach was banned for four matches by UEFA.
In the days following the final, Taylor and his family were also insulted by some Roma fans at Budapest airport, as they returned to the UK.
Anthony Taylor's retirement marks the end of the career of one of European football's most experienced referees, a key figure in some of the major international competitions of the last two decades. (PRIMASPORT)
