World Cup official

Editorially verified for the Aug 13, 2026

18 Across

Scroll down for rest of crossword answers

A soccer referee officiating a match.

Clue explained

A REF is a referee, the official who enforces the rules during a World Cup match. “Ref” is the standard informal shortening of “referee.”

Clue type:
Abbreviation

NYT Midi Crossword

This clue's Thursday, August 13, 2026 appearance

Tap a square to reveal a letter.

Or reveal one clue at a time with the Hint and Answer buttons below.

Across

  1. 1Music genre for the Mighty Mighty Bosstones
  2. 4"The Good Wife" channel
  3. 7Includes on an email thread
  4. 10Prepare to throw a dart
  5. 11"Could you repeat that?"
  6. 12Pretend to be a kangaroo, say
  7. 13In Stockholm: "fisk"
  8. 16Spot of some congestion
  9. 17Pinnacle
  10. 18World Cup official
  11. 20Hum like an electric fan
  12. 21In Rome: "ghiaccio"
  13. 24Condescending sort
  14. 25Cleanup hitter's stat
  15. 26"___ only take a minute"
  16. 27Roadblocks
  17. 31In Athens: "Giaourti"
  18. 34In a foul mood
  19. 35"What Was I Made ___?" (Billie Eilish song from "Barbie")
  20. 36Oolong or darjeeling
  21. 37Emmy winner Edebiri
  22. 38Baby bear
  23. 39Hold the deed to

Down

  1. 1Back talk
  2. 2Egg-shaped (and egg-sized) fruit
  3. 3"You said it!"
  4. 4Ice sculptor's tool
  5. 5Forrest Gump waits for one in "Forrest Gump"
  6. 6"Keep your voice down!"
  7. 7Ostentatiously fancy
  8. 8Incomprehensibly vast
  9. 9Basketball or baseball, but not football
  10. 14Long-lasting
  11. 15Excessively flattering, with "over"
  12. 19Relative of a spruce
  13. 21Spot for documents that need attention
  14. 22"Holy ___!"
  15. 23Soak up
  16. 24Letter between rho and tau
  17. 28Prefix with -tune or -correct
  18. 29Got bigger
  19. 30___ Wawrinka, winner of three Grand Slam tournament titles
  20. 32"Finger lickin' good" chain
  21. 33"Who are ___ to judge?"

The answer to “World Cup official” in the New York Times Midi crossword is REF — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times Midi crossword on August 13, 2026, a Thursday puzzle, at 18-Across. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“World Cup official” answer

REF (3 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is REF.

What does REF mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of REF is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

(noun)

  • (in sports) a referee

When else has “World Cup official” appeared?

New York Times Midi reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

August 13, 2026 (most recent) → REF. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “World Cup official”?

The answer is REF, a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times Midi crossword on August 13, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “World Cup official”?

3 letters: REF.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times Midi crossword on August 13, 2026 (a Thursday puzzle), at 18-Across.

Can “World Cup official” have a different answer?

Yes — New York Times Midi sometimes reuses a clue with a different solution to fit the grid. The answers we've recorded for each date it appeared are listed above when available.

Where can I find the rest of this day's NYT Midi answers?

The full grid for August 13, 2026 is on the NYT Midi answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

New York Times Midi Crossword is published by The New York Times; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

Crossword Clues

Looking up a clue? Jump into today's answers and clue help from top puzzles.