World Cup referee Anthony Taylor retires after 20 years and more than 800 matches in charge

LONDON (AP) — English referee Anthony Taylor, who officiated at the 2026 World Cup, announced his retirement on Tuesday.

The 47-year-old Taylor refereed more than 800 matches in the English Premier League, domestic cups, European club competitions and major internationals.

His final game was the round of 16 match at the World Cup on July 6, when the eventual champion Spain eliminated Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal 1-0.

“Officiating at the elite level has been an immense privilege, but the pressure is intense and the scrutiny is constant,” Taylor said in a statement. “The time is now right to step aside and look forward to transitioning to the next chapter of my career.”

Taylor became a professional referee in 2006 and was in charge of 432 Premier League games.

He also officiated at the FA Cup final in 2017 and 2020 and the League Cup final in 2015, and was on FIFA's international list for 14 years.

After Roma was beaten in a penalty shootout by Sevilla following a 1-1 draw in the 2023 Europa League final, losing coach José Mourinho lashed out at match referee Taylor in his post-match news conference.

Mourinho also verbally abused him in the stadium later, calling Taylor a “disgrace” with a series of expletives.

Taylor and his family had to be escorted away by security at Budapest airport after outraged Roma fans directed insults at him and threw a chair in his direction.

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FILE - Austria's players gesture with referee Anthony Taylor during the Euro 2020 soccer championship round of 16 match between Italy and Austria at Wembley stadium in London, June 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, Pool)

FILE - Birmingham City players protest a decision from referee Anthony Taylor, center, during their English Premier League soccer match against Blackpool at St. Andrews stadium in Birmingham, England, Oct. 23, 2010. (AP Photo/Simon Dawson, File)

FILE - Arsenal's Cristhian Mosquera receives a yellow card from referee Anthony Taylor during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and and Arsenal in Manchester, England, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

FILE - Referee Anthony Taylor makes a call during the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Arsenal in London, Nov. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Walton, File)

BOSTON (AP) — The only thing able to slow down the Red Sox was the weather.

Boston's game against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday was postponed because of rain, delaying its pursuit of a franchise record-tying 15th straight victory.

The teams will play a doubleheader Wednesday, with games scheduled for 1:35 p.m. and 7:10 p.m. EDT.

“It is what it is,” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said. “Tough airline travel can be disappointing. All the different things we’ve gone through. Yeah, you want to go out there and play, but, at the same time, if it looks like it’s going to rain all night off and on, and you don’t even know if there’s a window to play … wet field conditions and things like that, it doesn’t make a ton of sense.”

Boston rallied for a 6-5 victory over Baltimore in the series opener on Monday night for its 14th consecutive victory, moving a win away from matching a run by the 1946 team, led by future Hall of Famer Ted Williams.

The Red Sox have had their share of travel delays before and during the streak.

After they won six in a row, they were grounded for nearly 24 hours due to a pair of mechanical issues on their plane in Chicago, delaying their arrival at Citi Field to face the New York Mets. The start of the game was pushed back slightly, and the Red Sox beat the Mets 6-2.

That airline delay was the second in two weeks. Their flight from Denver to Boston turned around after half an hour on June 24 due to a mechanical issue. After getting home in the early morning, they beat the Yankees.

On Tuesday, rain started about three hours before the scheduled first pitch, and the game was called about 90 minutes later.

Injured pitcher Garrett Crochet said he hasn’t been in the dugout during the streak.

“It was like, man, we’ve got a good thing going here,” he said. “I finished my work the other day in like the seventh inning and I was like, ‘Let me finish this inning in here, and maybe I’ll go out.’ And Wilyer (Abreu) hit a homer. I was like, ‘Ooh, I got to stay here.’”

Abreu hit a two-run homer to lift Boston past Tampa Bay on Saturday.

Orioles: RHP Dean Kremer (1-2, 4.15 ERA) is slated to start the day game and RHP Kyle Bradish (6-9, 3.61) is set for the nightcap.

Red Sox: LHP Jake Bennett (5-3, 2.35) is set to start the opener, and it's possible that LHP Ranger Suárez (4-3, 3.15) will come of the injured list for the second game.

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Fans walk towards Fenway Park as a baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles was postponed due to heavy rain, Tuesday, July 21, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Fans leave the upper deck of Fenway Park after a baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles was postponed due to heavy rain, Tuesday, July 21, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)