Wales' Nigel Owens has been selected to officiate at his fourth consecutive Rugby World Cup.
The 47-year-old is one of 12 referees chosen to take charge of matches at this autumn’s global tournament in Japan.
In all, 23 officials have been named, including seven assistant refs and four TMOs, representing nine nations.
Owens, who refereed the last World Cup final in 2015, is the only Welshman in the group.
Speaking last month, he said gaining selection was a big goal for him and he would then decide after the tournament how much longer to continue refereeing before retiring.
The officials will take charge of 48 matches at the World Cup, which runs from September 20 to November 2.
They have been selected on merit after a comprehensive review of performances over the last four international windows.
Among the familiar figures joining Owens in the 12-strong band of referees are England’s Wayne Barnes, Australia’s Angus Gardner and South Africa’s Jaco Peyper, with Jérôme Garcès and Romain Poite two of four Frenchmen chosen.
While Barnes is also heading for his fourth consecutive World Cup, there are debuts for Gardner, Luke Pearce, Mathieu Raynal, Ben O’Keeffe and Nic Berry.
The 23 officials have 804 Tests under their collective belt, as either referees, assistant referees or TMOs.
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World Rugby chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “Just like for the players and coaches, Rugby World Cup represents the pinnacle of a match official’s career and I would like to congratulate the team of 12 referees, seven assistant referees and four TMOs who have achieved selection today through their hard work, commitment and dedication to excellence.
“Put simply, without the match officials there would be no rugby and I am proud of the leading position that our sport enjoys in terms of the mutual respect and values displayed between match officials, players and all those involved in the game.”
Former Wales prop Anthony Buchanan is chairman of World Rugby’s Match Official Selection Committee.
He added: “This selection was made on merit, on form and after a comprehensive process.
“With so much strength in depth, the panel was left with some tough decisions to be made across all areas.
“I would like to pay tribute to all the individuals involved in the process and congratulate the squad who have been selected for Japan 2019.
“Since Rugby World Cup 2015, we have been focused on developing a strong team ethic among the group of match officials while bringing through the next generation of test officials with regular meetings and workshops to share best practice and experiences.
“The group selected for Rugby World Cup 2019 contains a strong mix of experience and proven young talent and we have every confidence that they will be well prepared and ready to perform at the highest possible level at Japan 2019.”
There has been huge demand for tickets for the tournament, with more than five million applications received.
The remaining tickets will be available www.rugbyworldcup.com/tickets from May 18.
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WORLD CUP OFFICIALS
Referees (12): Wayne Barnes (England), Luke Pearce (England), Jérôme Garcès (France), Romain Poite (France), Pascal Gaüzère (France), Mathieu Raynal (France), Nigel Owens (Wales), Jaco Peyper (South Africa), Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand), Paul Williams (New Zealand), Nic Berry (Australia) and Angus Gardner (Australia) – 457 Tests as referees
Assistant referees (seven): Matthew Carley (England, reserve referee), Karl Dickson (England), Andrew Brace (Ireland), Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand), Federico Anselmi (Argentina), Shuhei Kubo (Japan) and Alex Ruiz (France) – 130 Tests as assistant referees
TMOs (four): Graham Hughes (England), Rowan Kitt (England), Ben Skeen (New Zealand) and Marius Jonker (South Africa) – 217 Tests as TMOs
