When Italian referee Maurizio Mariani and his officiating team step onto the pitch at Hard Rock Stadium for Monday’s Group H clash between Uruguay and Saudi Arabia, they will do so in a color rarely seen on World Cup officials: flamingo pink.
FIFA has produced a special one-off pink kit for the match officials as a tribute to Miami, the host city welcoming its first match of the 2026 World Cup. The eye-catching uniforms, dubbed “pink flamingo,” are a celebration of everything that makes Miami culturally and visually distinct.
A Color Synonymous with Miami
The choice of pink is no accident. The color is deeply woven into Miami’s identity, drawing inspiration from three iconic elements of the city:
The flamingos that once thrived in the region in large numbers; the iconic Art Deco architecture that lines Ocean Drive on South Beach, with its distinctive pastel pink facades; and South Florida’s legendary pink sunsets, which paint the sky in hues of pink, orange and violet.
According to FIFA’s official statement, the “pink flamingo” hue symbolizes “the once widespread population of flamingos in the region, the striking palette of the city’s famous Art Deco architecture, and South Florida’s iconic pink sunsets”.
A Gesture of Appreciation
Miami serves as the home base for “Team One” — the 170-strong contingent of referees, assistant referees and video match officials who will officiate throughout the tournament. While the video officials will relocate to Dallas, the on-field officials will call Miami home for approximately two months.
Pierluigi Collina, FIFA’s Chief Refereeing Officer and Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, explained the sentiment behind the gesture: “Miami is our base camp so we thought it would be nice to show our appreciation to the city where we’ll live for about two months”. “We chose this ‘pink flamingo’ for the referees’ training material. It’s a sort of recognition”.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino echoed the sentiment, saying: “Pink is the colour of Miami, and we are all wearing this very nice pink dresses to give a little bit of a shout-out, to give a little bit of a smile to the city which is hosting us”.
A One-Off Occasion
While the pink kits have been featured during Team One’s training sessions in Miami, their appearance in an actual match is strictly a one-off event. For all remaining tournament matches — including future fixtures hosted in Miami — referees will revert to their standard rotation of black, green, cyan, red and yellow uniforms.
The decision to debut the commemorative kit during the Uruguay-Saudi Arabia match is fitting: it marks Miami’s first World Cup fixture of the 2026 tournament. The match is being held at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, which has been rebranded as Miami Stadium for the World Cup.
The Officiating Team
Mariani, a FIFA-listed referee since 2019 with over 430 matches of experience across European and global competitions, will lead the officiating crew. He will be joined by fellow Italians Daniele Bindoni and Alberto Tegoni as assistant referees. Canadian Drew Fischer will serve as the fourth official, while Italy’s Marco Di Bello will handle Video Assistant Referee (VAR) duties.
The match kicks off at 18:00 local time (22:00 GMT), with both teams looking to make an early statement in Group H following Spain’s draw with Cape Verde earlier in the day.
As the World Cup continues its journey across North America, Monday night’s match in Miami will be remembered not just for the football, but for a fleeting splash of flamingo pink that honored a city known for its vibrant spirit.
