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 claimed their first-ever point at the tournament on Saturday local time, frustrating South American powerhouse Ecuador in a scoreless draw. But for many Chinese fans, the match carried another layer of significance: a Chinese refereeing trio made history on football's biggest stage.

Referee Ma Ning, assistant referee Zhou Fei and video assistant referee Fu Ming jointly officiated the Ecuador-Curacao fixture, marking the first time Chinese officials had simultaneously served as referee, assistant referee and VAR in a World Cup match.

'Card Master' wins praise

The spotlight 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 on Sunday. 

Some Chinese fans joked that Ma completed a "double-yellow card hat trick," while others revived his nickname the "Card Master" after he issued two yellow cards in one minute in the first half. Ma earned the nickname thanks to his strict disciplinary style in domestic football. 

On social media X, some netizens also hailed Ma's refereeing during the match.

"The refereeing by China's Ma Ning was, in my humble opinion, the best of the tournament so far. Criterion, coherence, and tons of time with the ball rolling," Giuliano Formoso posted on X. 

Another X user TobyWrites said Ma's performance is one of the best he has ever seen. 

"[Ma's was] one of the best refereeing performances I've ever seen," he wrote in an X post. "He's not whistling every minute. He lets the game flow."

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 rallied around the referee, producing online discussions. Several Chinese commercial endorsements also centered on Ma's World Cup appearance. 

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

Before leaving for North America, Ma said that Chinese officials hoped to demonstrate that Chinese referees are capable of performing at football's highest level.

"We have worked hard for years to prove that Chinese referees can stand on the world's biggest stage," he was quoted as saying in a story published on the Chinese Football Association website. "We will learn from the best referees in the world, bring that experience back to China and do our utmost to showcase the professionalism of Chinese referees at the World Cup."

Ma is 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.

After overseeing the FIFA World Cup match between Curaçao and Ecuador, Chinese referees Ma, Zhou and Fu received an unusual tribute from FIFA itself. The official FIFA World Cup account on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, posted a congratulatory video celebrating their performance. Titled "Xibao" (Good News), the video mimicked the design of traditional Chinese school commendation certificates, complete with colorful confetti effects. Its deliberately nostalgic and distinctly Chinese aesthetic quickly drew attention online.

Beyond refereeing one match

For many Chinese football observers, the significance of the trio's World Cup appearance extends beyond refereeing a single match.

"This is a reward for years of hard work by Chinese referees and the people behind the referee development system," football commentator Sun Yuxuan told the Global Times. "Their appearance at the World Cup shows that China's commitment to referee training is producing results and is something worth continuing."

Sun added that Ma's performance could help improve public understanding of refereeing.

"Many supporters only notice referees when controversy occurs," he told the Global Times. "But seeing Chinese officials perform confidently on football's biggest stage may encourage more people to appreciate the profession and even consider becoming referees themselves." 

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

Earlier in March, the current Chinese national team defeated Curacao 2-0 in a friendly in Australia, fueling the discussion over Curacao's World Cup journey. 

Some Chinese fans compared Curacao's performance at the 2026 World Cup to the Chinese national team's only previous World Cup appearance in 2002, when then-Chinese Football Association vice chief Yan Shiduo said the goal for the team was to score one goal, draw a match and win one game.

Drawn into a group with Brazil, Turkey and Costa Rica, the Chinese team lost all three matches and exited the tournament without scoring a goal, drawing criticism for the team's underachieving performance. 

"China's 2002 World Cup campaign is often remembered for three defeats and no goals, but participation itself mattered," football commentator Bai Guohua told the Global Times. 

"You may get beaten when a team reaches the World Cup, but if the team never get there, it will never have a chance to make any breakthrough. That's why qualifying for the tournament remains the dream of every football team from China to Curacao."