Seven African referees have been selected among officials for the FIFA World Cup 2026, and Nigeria is once again absent from the list. The tournament will be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, with 104 matches scheduled across multiple venues.
The world football governing body, FIFA, announced a total of 52 referees, 88 assistant referees, and 30 video match officials drawn from all six confederations. The organisation said the selection was based strictly on merit and represents the most extensive officiating team in World Cup history.
From Africa, the selected referees include Gabon’s Pierre Ghislain Atcho, South Africa’s Tom Abongile, Somalia’s Omar Abdulkadir Artan, Mauritania’s Dahane Beida, Algeria’s Mustapha Ghorbal, Egypt’s Amin Mohamed Omar, and Morocco’s Jalal Jayed.
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Nigeria’s continued absence has drawn attention, as the country remains without representation at recent FIFA tournaments despite its strong football heritage. Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, Pierluigi Collina, said the selected officials were chosen after a rigorous process spanning several years.
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