FIFA has selected Ugandan referee Shamirah Nabadda to officiate at the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup, slated for 5-27 September in Poland.
The final list confirmed by FIFA has 18 centre referees, 36 assistant referees and 14 Video Assistant Referees.
Nabadda and Twanyanyukwa Antsino (Namibia) are the only African centre referees on the list.
“We congratulate the match officials selected for these two important tournaments in the women’s football calendar,” said Pierluigi Collina, FIFA’s Chief Refereeing Officer and chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee.
“As we build towards the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 in Brazil, these competitions will provide an ideal opportunity to assess progress, both on the pitch and with the use of supporting technology. The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup will use VAR to assist match officials, while the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup will use Football Video Support.”
Nabadda, 30, has continued to excel at the top, receiving several appointments in recent years.
She has officiated at the 2024 U17 Women’s World Cup, 2024 Summer Olympics, 2025 AFCON, 2022 and 2024 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations, CAF Women’s Champions League and the 2024 Africa Nations Championship (CHAN), among others.
Last year, Nabadda was named the best referee by CAF in the Women’s category.
