Maurizio Mariani (born 25 February 1982) is an Italian football referee who officiates in Serie A. He has been a FIFA listed referee since 2019, and a UEFA elite category referee since 2024.
Career Born in Rome, Mariani decided to pursue a career in refereeing at the age of 16 while in completing his studies at the Francesco Morosini Naval Academy in Venice. From the age of 18, Mariani originally played as a goalkeeper but he decided to try refereeing.
In October 2000, Mariani made his debut as a referee in youth categories. He then moved to Lazio and began improving his career by reaching Serie D in 2007 and then, after a two-year stay, Serie C in 2009.
After two more years in Serie C, he was promoted to the national association of Italian referees. In 2011, Mariani ascended to Serie B and, in 2013, to Serie A, where he was officialized in 2015.
In October 2020, Mariani refereed his first Derby della Madonnina between Inter Milan and AC Milan. In January 2021, he served as the fourth official of the 2020 Supercoppa Italiana between Juventus and Napoli (2–0).
In 2019, FIFA named him a FIFA-listed referee and, in 2021, FIFA included Mariani as a video assistant referee.
Mariani was assigned as a VAR official for the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. Among other matches, Mariani was appointed for the quarter-final game between England and Portugal, as well as the semifinal match between England and Israel.
At the end of the 2023–24 Serie A, he had 151 appearances in that category.
In May 2024, CONMEBOL, as part of an exchange program under the cooperation agreement with UEFA, selected Mariani for the 2024 Copa América, and, in December 2024, UEFA promoted him to the Elite category.
In 2025, Mariani refereed the Coppa Italia final between AC Milan and Bologna, and was assigned to lead the final between Argentina and Morocco at the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile.
On 11 May 2026, UEFA announced Mariani would take charge of 2026 UEFA Conference League final between Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano on 27 May.
Mariani was chosen to referee at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America. In September 2026, he was named Serie A Referee of the Year.
Selected performances Club +DateMatchTournamentVenueResultRef27 May 2026Crystal Palace vs. Rayo Vallecano2026 UEFA Conference League finalRed Bull Arena, Leipzig1–0
International 2026 FIFA World Cup – North AmericaDateMatchResultRoundVenue15 June 2026 – 1–1Group stageHard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens23 June 2026 – 1–0Group stageEstadio Akron, Zapopan29 June 2026 – 2–1Round of 32NRG Stadium, Houston
Honours Serie A Referee of the Year: 2025–26 Giovanni Mauro Award for Best Italian International Referee of the Season: 2022
References
Maurizio Mariani