PUBLISHED ONJune 10, 2026 11:00 PMBYSean LerChinese referee Ma Ning, who is listed as a match official on Fifa's officiating list for the 2026 World Cup, has become the new face of Chinese football after its national team failed to qualify for the tournament again.
More than a month after the list was announced on April 9, the 46-year-old joined Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu on May 27.
In just the two weeks since, he has gained more than 200,000 followers.
That's not all. With just a grand total of seven posts, he has received 474,000 likes and post saves.
A post on May 30, showing photographs of him — dressed in a plain white polo shirt with a China flag patch over his left chest — as he sets off to officiate at the tournament received over 100,000 likes and more than 10,000 comments.
@asiaone With China once again not in the World Cup, Chinese fans have turned to an unexpected star for hopes - referee Ma Ning - who will be officiating at the tournament. #news #China #Football #WorldCup #Referee ♬ original sound - AsiaOne
He has also reportedly attracted sponsorships from major Chinese brands such as computer company Lenovo and dairy product firm Mengniu.
Ma, nicknamed "Card Master" for his strictness on the pitch and willingness to dish out cards, earned the moniker after he dished out nine yellow and three red cards during a Shanghai derby match in 2015.
He went on to win the Chinese Super League's best referee in 2016 and 2017, earning assignments from the Asian Football Confederation to officiate at regional competitions such as the AFC Champions League.
At the World Cup held in Qatar in 2022, Ma debuted as fourth official.
He will be joined at the upcoming World Cup, which starts on June 11, by assistant referee Zhou Fei and video assistant referee (VAR) official Fu Ning.
At the time of this article's publication, Ma's first assignment at his second World Cup has not been announced.
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