Ivo Méndez

Born in Santa Cruz de la Sierra,^[2] Méndez began his refereeing career at a national level in Bolivia in 2012, by ascending to the FBF División Profesional –the country's top league– and leading his first match in December of that year between C.A. Nacional Potosí and C.D. Jorge Wilstermann.^[3] At local level, Méndez is considered one of the most important and renowned of his generation,^[4][2] and has led prominent matches, including the Clásico Cruceño between Oriente Petrolero and Club Blooming,^[5][6] and the Clásico Paceño between Club Bolívar and The Strongest.^[7]

Following his FIFA designation in 2017, Méndez began overseeing games at regional level, including the Copa Libertadores, where, as of February 2025, he had refereed a total of six matches, showing (in the first five games) 23 yellow cards and sanctioning two penalty kicks.^[2] He has also taken part in the Bolivian representation at the Copa Sudamericana and the CONMEBOL qualification for the FIFA World Cup, as well as the 2020 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament in Colombia, where he led two matches: Argentina U-23 v. Venezuela U-23 and Chile U-23 v. Ecuador U-23.^[8][9][2]

Beyond his continental field, Méndez most prominent competitions include youth FIFA World Cups, including the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil,^[10] the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Indonesia,^[2] and the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar.^[11] In senior national tournaments, he was also part of the officials at the 2024 Copa América held in the United States.^[2]