JOE DICKERSON TO SERVE AS VAR OFFICIAL AT 2025 WORLD CUP

Joe Dickerson will work as a VAR official in the replay booth during this summer's FIFA World Cup, which takes place across North America. In that role, he will communicate directly with on-field referees to alert them to contentious plays under review. He will also call up footage to assist officials in making decisions. Dickerson began his refereeing career in the San Jose area before rising through the ranks to become one of North America's leading officials.

US Football named Dickerson its male referee of the year in 2025. FIFA observed him throughout the World Cup cycle alongside numerous other officials worldwide, and he was considered for either a centre referee or video review position at the tournament. Dickerson told the Guardian he has historically disliked going to the monitor, associating it with having made an error on the pitch. He said that reluctance now informs how he approaches requesting that an on-field referee take a second look at a decision.

Beyond refereeing, Dickerson is studying for a master's degree at the University of Chicago. His thesis focuses on the political philosophy of Machiavelli and will include a case study examining its relationship to refereeing. Dickerson described most errors made by referees at World Cup level as subtle and difficult to detect rather than straightforward mistakes. He noted that such errors are ones for which officials are rarely criticised.