Updated

Updated · The Washington Post · Jun 20

Referee Ma Ning, 46, Becomes China’s World Cup Star as National Team Misses Tournament Again

Updated

Updated · The Washington Post · Jun 20

Referee Ma Ning, 46, Becomes China’s World Cup Star as National Team Misses Tournament Again

Q: Is the rise of a celebrity referee a new path to stardom or a symptom of a nation's soccer failure?

It is both, but in China’s case it is more clearly a symptom of the national team’s failure than a wholly new route to fame. Referees can become stars on merit alone. The clearest precedent is Italy’s Pierluigi Collina, whose authority, distinctive image and elite performances made him a global figure, with advertising deals and pop-culture visibility unusual for an official. Ma Ning’s own rise also rests on real professional credentials: he is a FIFA referee, a two-time Chinese Super League best referee, and now China’s only on-field representative at the 2026 World Cup. His strict style, which earned him the nickname “Card Master,” and his social media reach have made him commercially attractive to brands such as Lenovo, Hisense and Mengniu. But the scale and emotional tone of Ma’s celebrity are inseparable from China’s football disappointment. The men’s national team has not reached the World Cup since 2002, leaving fans with no players to rally behind. That vacuum has turned Ma into a substitute national symbol. Online support for him is less about celebrating refereeing as a profession than about finding any Chinese presence on football’s biggest stage. So Ma Ning’s fame does point to a broader modern trend: referees, like players, can now build brands through performance, personality and digital platforms. Yet in this case, his stardom is amplified by absence. He is not just a celebrity referee; he is the figure Chinese fans have because the team itself is not there.

2 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Jun 20

Ma Ning, 46, has emerged as China’s most visible figure at this year’s World Cup, drawing attention at home despite not being a player.
China’s national team failed to qualify again, leaving fans without a home side to follow and helping shift attention to the referee on the pitch.
Ma has turned his officiating résumé, strict on-field style and social media presence into wider fame, landing media interviews and major sponsorships.
His rise underscores how China’s World Cup presence this year is being defined less by its team’s performance than by an official’s unexpected celebrity.