 He then went on to referee in the 1982 World Cup Finals in Spain.He featured in three matches - refereeing the first round Group C match between Belgium and Hungary, which ended 1–1, and acting as a linesman for the first round Group F game when the Soviet Union beat New Zealand 3–0 and for the goalless draw between Poland and the Soviet Union in the second round.At this stage White seemed to have marked himself out as the leading English referee with potentially another six years before retirement.