Under the main referee of the Ukraine vs. Iceland match, the Ukrainian team has never lost (match statistics)

As already reported, the main referee of the final match of the 6th round of the 2026 World Cup qualifying tournament in Group D between Ukraine and Iceland will be Anthony Taylor, who represents England.

Anthony Taylor

He is one of the most experienced referees who continues his career: a month ago, he turned 47 and has 804 matches under his belt, including 148 international (in total at club and national team levels in competitions of all age categories), which Taylor has been officiating since 2013.

The Briton has repeatedly worked on matches involving Ukrainian teams both at the club level and at the national team level. His paths crossed with the Ukrainian national team quite recently: Taylor was the main referee of the 3rd round group stage match of the Euro 2024 finals Ukraine vs. Belgium (0:0). Before that, the Englishman refereed the Ukrainian national team twice more, and in these cases, the «blue-yellow» won: first against the Czech Republic (2:1) in the Nations League, and then against Portugal (2:1) in the Euro 2020 qualifying cycle.

Anthony Taylor’s Match Statistics with Ukrainian Teams

Season 2013/14. Ukraine U-21 — Switzerland U-21 (2:0). Euro 2015 (U-21) Qualifiers

Season 2014/15. Ukraine U-19 — Sweden U-19 (2:2). Euro 2015 (U-19) Qualifiers

Season 2014/15. Greece U-19 — Ukraine U-19 (2:0). Euro 2015 (U-19) Finals

Season 2015/16. PSG — Shakhtar (2:0). Champions League Group Stage

Season 2016/17. Shakhtar — Gent (5:0). Europa League Group Stage

Season 2018/19. Ukraine — Czech Republic (2:1). Nations League

Season 2018/19. Ukraine — Portugal (2:1). Euro 2020 Qualifiers

Season 2018/19. Shakhtar — Eintracht (2:2). Europa League Round of 16

Season 2021/22. Shakhtar — Monaco (2:2). Champions League Qualifiers

Season 2021/22. Dynamo — Benfica (0:0). Champions League Group Stage.

Season 2023/24. Ukraine — Belgium (0:0). Euro 2024.

As for Taylor’s refereeing style, this referee can be considered moderately strict: he shows an average of 3−4 yellow cards per match. The Briton resorts to direct dismissals in approximately every 9−10 matches. Taylor awards penalties on average in every third game.