The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has released the list of African referees and video match officials selected to officiate at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with several experienced officials earning the opportunity to represent the continent at football’s biggest tournament.
The World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, will feature a select group of match officials from Africa chosen based on their performances in continental competitions and international fixtures.
Among the referees named is Mauritanian official Dahane Beida, whose steady rise in international officiating has continued to earn recognition.
Beida has consistently delivered strong performances in CAF tournaments and his selection is widely viewed as a reward for his growing reputation and reliability on the big stage.
The list of referees also features several well-known African officials including Mustapha Ghorbal of Algeria, Jean‑Jacques Ndala Ngambo of DR Congo, Amin Omar of Egypt and Gabonese referee Pierre Ghislain Atcho.
CAF also confirmed the African Video Assistant Referees (VAR) who will take part in the tournament.
The selected VAR officials include Algeria’s Lahlou Benbraham, Egypt’s Mahmoud Ashour and Eswatini’s Letticia Viana.
According to CAF, the officials were selected after a rigorous assessment process that evaluated their consistency, experience and overall performances in CAF competitions as well as other international matches.
The referees and VAR officials will now prepare to represent Africa when the World Cup kicks off in 2026.
Despite the recognition for the selected referees, CAF’s announcement has sparked debate across the continent following the omission of highly regarded Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan.
Artan has built a strong reputation in recent years and is widely considered one of Africa’s top referees, having handled several high-profile matches across African competitions.
His absence from the final list has therefore surprised many observers and analysts who expected him to be among the officials representing Africa at the global showpiece.
The discussion surrounding Artan’s omission has become one of the major talking points following CAF’s announcement, even as the selected referees prepare to officiate on the world’s biggest football stage in 2026.
The post CAF Unveils African Referees for 2026 FIFA World Cup as Omar Artan’s Omission Sparks Debate first appeared on Africa Top Sports.
