AFCON final ref dropped as FIFA picks World Cup officials

Renowned Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala, who officiated the 2025 AFCON final, has been left out of the list of referees selected for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, as FIFA named seven centre referees, 10 assistant referees, and two Video Assistant Referees (VAR) from across Africa, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the expanded 48-team tournament will run from June 11 to July 19, 2026.

Other notable omissions include Issa Sy from Senegal and Boubou Traoré from Mali.

The exclusion of Ndala comes after the controversial Africa Cup of Nations final held in Morocco two months ago. Ndala, who took charge of the match, found himself at the centre of attention after the game descended into chaos, with Senegal players walking off the pitch in protest. The game was halted for several minutes before it resumed. Senegal won the tie 1-0, but Morocco was later declared the winner by the CAF appeals committee.

Africa will be represented by officials from Algeria, Egypt, Gabon, Morocco, Mauritania, South Africa, Cameroon, Angola, and Somalia.

The seven centre referees are; Omar Artan (Somalia), Dahane Beida (Mauritania), Mustapha Ghorbal (Algeria), Amin Mohamed (Egypt), Abongile Tom (South Africa), Jalal Jayeed (Morocco) and Pierre Atcho (Gabon).

Among them, Ghorbal stands out as the most experienced, having officiated at both the 2018 and 2022 AFCON tournaments. Artan will make his FIFA World Cup debut, marking a milestone for Somali football.

The 10 assistant referees include; Mostafa Akarkad (Morocco), Ahmed Hossam (Egypt), Mahmoud, Abdouelregal (Egypt), Amos Abeigne (Gabon), Boris Ditsoga (Gabon), Mokrane Gourari (Algeria), Elvis Noupue (Cameroon), Siwela Zakhele (South Africa), Abbes Akram (Algeria) and Jerson Santos (Angola)

The two VAR officials are Ashour Mahmoud (Egypt) and Hamza El Fariq (Morocco).

Egypt leads African representation with four officials, followed by Morocco, Algeria, and Gabon with three each. South Africa has two, while the remaining countries have one each.