Kuala Lumpur: A total of 25 Asian match officials have been appointed for the FIFA World Cup 2026 – six more than in the 2022 edition of the global showpiece.

In a landmark achievement for the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) sterling efforts in developing elite refereeing talent, the upcoming tournament will mark the first-ever appointment of an AFC Referee Academy graduate in Abdullah Alshehri, who was selected as a Video Match Official (VMO).

Comprising eight referees, 12 assistant referees, and five VMOs, the lineup will feature five debutants alongside experienced campaigners Alireza Faghani and Abdulrahman Al Jassim, who will be returning for their fourth and third FIFA World Cup appearances respectively.

In addition, China PR’s Ma Ning will feature in the competition for a second time, having been appointed as fourth official in six matches in 2022. .....

🇦🇺 Alireza Faghani
🇶🇦 Abdulrahman Al Jassim
🇸🇦 Khalid Al Turais
🇯🇵 Yusuke Araki
🇨🇳 Ma Ning
🇯🇴 Adham Makhadmeh
🇦🇪 Omar Al Ali
🇺🇿 Ilgiz Tantashev

8️⃣ officials set to represent AFC as referees at the #FIFAWorldCup! pic.twitter.com/AQQ0LYb50A

— #AsianCup2027 (@afcasiancup) April 11, 2026

＞＞READ MORE "AFC Official Site"