Chinese referee Ma Ning shows a yellow card to Curacao's player Jurien Gaari during the 2026 World Cup Group E football match between Ecuador and Curacao at the Kansas City Stadium in Kansas, the US, on June 20, 2026. Photo: IC

World Cup debutants Curacao earned their first-ever point at the tournament on Saturday local time after a goalless draw with Ecuador despite several clear chances. However, it is the Chinese refereeing trio that has stolen the online spotlight in China for making Chinese football history.

During the match, referee Ma Ning, assistant referee Zhou Fei and video assistant referee (VAR) Fu Ming made history by jointly officiating the Ecuador-Curacao fixture. 

It marked the first time that Chinese officials had simultaneously filled the roles of referee, assistant referee and VAR in a World Cup match. 

The spotlight on Sunday in China mainly fell on Ma, one of China's most recognizable football referees. The 47-year-old issued six yellow cards during the match, drawing widespread discussion on Chinese social media. 

Some fans jokingly described the performance as a "duo yellow-card hat trick," while others revived his nickname the "Card Master," which Ma had earned thanks to his strict disciplinary style, after he issued two yellow cards in one minute in the first half.

Chinese fans, however, were discussing more than the yellow cards.

With the Chinese men's national team once again absent from football's biggest stage, many supporters have embraced Ma as an unlikely representative of Chinese football at the tournament. Numerous Chinese fans have rallied around the referee, producing memes, online discussions and even commercial endorsements centered on his World Cup appearance. 

For Ma, the Ecuador-Curacao match represented a personal and national breakthrough. He became the first Chinese referee in 24 years to take charge of a World Cup match as the lead official, ending a wait that dates back to the 2002 World Cup. 

He is also the only Chinese referee to be selected for two consecutive World Cups. At Qatar 2022, Ma participated in six matches as a fourth official but did not receive an on-field assignment.

The match was equally significant for his colleagues. 

Fu became the first Chinese official to serve as a VAR at a World Cup, after working several matches as a support VAR earlier in the tournament. 

Zhou, meanwhile, became the first Chinese assistant referee to officiate on the field at a World Cup. Previous Chinese assistant referees selected for the 2010 and 2022 tournaments were named as reserve officials but never appeared on-pitch in matches.

Before the Ecuador-Curacao match kicked off, FIFA announced that Ma and Zhou would be involved in another World Cup fixture between England and Ghana, making it Ma's second appointment of the tournament, despite not being the lead referee.