CAF Releases Statement With Update on African Referees Set to Officiate at 2026 FIFA World Cup
- CAF has published a statement about the African officials who are set to participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup
- FIFA announced the list of officials for the 2026 World Cup in the United States of America, Mexico and Canada
- Seven centre referees will represent Africa, with 12 others functioning in different roles, including VAR
CAF has published a statement about the African officials who will officiate at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
The world is gearing up for the first edition of the expanded 48-nation tournament in North America from June 11, 2026, to July 19, 2026.
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All 48 participants have been confirmed, including 10 African countries, after DR Congo beat Jamaica to pick up the 10th spot through the playoff.
FIFA, as part of its preparations, announced the list of referees and other officials who will handle matches at the tournament: 52 referees, 88 assistants and 30 video officials.
Africa will be represented by 19 match officials, which includes seven referees, 10 assistant referees and two video assistant referees (VAR).
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CAF sends message to African referees
CAF, via its website, has published a full list of the African match officials who will be officiating at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
Egypt and Morocco are the most represented with four each, and are the only nations to have at least one official in each category, referee, assistant and VAR.
Gabon has 3, Algeria has 2, South Africa has 2, Cameroon, Angola, Somalia and Mauritania have one each. 16 out of the 19 took part in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
“The selection reflects a strong continuity between CAF’s elite competitions and the global stage. This progression underscores the critical role of CAF competitions in preparing match officials for the highest level of international football,” the CAF statement reads.
“The presence of these highly experienced and trusted officials on the world stage is the result of CAF’s ongoing efforts and sustained investment in the development and training of match officials across the continent.
“Through structured programmes and consistent exposure to top-level CAF interclub and national competitions, CAF continues to strengthen its refereeing standards and produce world-class officials.”
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There was relief across Africa over the exclusion of controversial officials at the AFCON 2025, including Jean-Jacques Ndala, Issa Sy and Daniel Laryea.
Ndala officiated the controversial AFCON final, while Laryea’s performance during the semi-final between Nigeria and Morocco was questionable.
Issa Sy had a questionable outing during a CAF Champions League match when he pulled out a red card to scare players and fans after Esperance vs Al Ahly.
CAF's update of referees’ chief
Legit.ng previously reported that CAF provided an update on the case against referees' chief Olivier Safari Kabene after an allegation of interference in the AFCON final.
CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe dodged the question during his visit to Morocco, and asked acting general secretary Samson Adamu to jump into the fire.
Source: Legit.ng
