Facundo Raúl Tello Figueroa (born 4 May 1982) is an Argentine football referee who is a listed international referee for FIFA since 2019. He has been officiating the highest division of Argentine football league since 2013. Tello has officiated many high level tournaments including the 2022 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2024, and the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Biography Facundo Tello was born in Bahía Blanca, in the Buenos Aires Province on 4 May 1982.
Career Tello debuted in the highest category of Argentine football with only four matches in the second division, where he officiated the Godoy Cruz and Vélez Sarsfield match, on the fourteenth date of the 2013 Final Tournament.
Tello, who belongs to the Bahiense Association of Referees, made his first steps in tournaments of the Argentine Soccer Association from 2011, when he debuted in the then Argentine Tournament A.
As he was settled in the first division, Tello officiated the first summer superclassic of 2018, with the Millionaires victory 1–0. That same year, he was summoned to officiate in the return final that defined the second promotion to the 2018-2019 Super League, between San Martín de Tucumán and Sarmiento with a 5–1 victory for San Martín de Tucumán.
In 2019, Tello entered the roster of international referees for FIFA as he was appointed by Conmebol as a 4th official for the South American U-20 Championship in Chile along with his colleagues Fernando Rapallini, Ezequiel Brailosky and Gabriel Chade, becoming the first Bahia collegiate to achieve this distinction.
He was one of the appointed referees to officiate the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup, as he was summoned to officiate the match between Jordan and Morocco. Tello was one of the referees chosen for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. On 6 November 2022, Tello refereed Argentina's Champions Trophy final between Boca Juniors and Racing Club, where he brandished ten red cards (seven red cards to Boca and three to Racing). Tello was selected to the FIFA Club World Cup in 2025, and was invited back to his second FIFA World Cup in North America.
Selected performances 2022 FIFA World Cup – Qatar Date Match Result Round Venue 24 November 2022 – 1–0 Group stage Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah 2 December 2022 – 2–1 Group stage Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan 10 December 2022 – 1–0 Quarter-finals Al Thumama Stadium, Doha 2026 FIFA World Cup – North America Date Match Result Round Venue 12 June 2026 – 1–1 Group stage BMO Field, Toronto 24 June 2026 – 1–0 Group stage Estadio BBVA, Guadalupe 9 July 2026 – 2-0 Quarter-finals Gillette Stadium, Foxborough
References