FIFA has confirmed the final list of match officials that will take charge of games at the forthcoming FIFA U17 World Cup in Qatar.
The tournament will take place from 19th November to 13th December.
A total of 81 match officials, comprising 27 referees and 54 assistant referees from 36 FIFA Member Associations, have been selected to oversee matches during the competition.
Africa will have a strong representation of four centre referees and eight assistants.
The appointments include two all-female refereeing trios, comprising six officials in total, underlining FIFA’s continued commitment to providing leading female match officials with opportunities to perform at the highest level of international football.
FIFA Chief Refereeing Officer Pierluigi Collina believes they have selected the most promising officials who will deliver a perfect tournament.
“Last year’s tournament presented a refereeing operation of significant scale and complexity, and the quality and consistency demonstrated by the match officials were extremely high. For this year’s edition, we have again brought together some of the most promising officials from every confederation. They have been selected not only for their performances, but also for their ability to work as part of an international team and meet the demands of a major FIFA tournament,” he said.
During the tournament, the match officials will be supported by a professional FIFA team of refereeing instructors, medical and physiotherapy expertise, fitness coaches and additional refereeing specialists in video technology and organisation.
Football Video Support (FVS) will again be used at the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2026, following its implementation at the 2025 edition of the tournament.
48 teams will feature in this years edition with 104 matches to be played in the Aspire Zone, and the final at Khalifa International Stadium.
