2026 World Cup: African referees excluded from major matches

In the 2026 World Cup, no African referee was appointed for the quarter-finals or semi-finals. Of the 19 African officials selected, only 5 central referees officiated 10 matches out of 101 (9.9%). Despite satisfactory performances, including Moroccan Jalal Jayed praised for his handling of the Germany-Paraguay round of 16, no CAF official was retained for the knockout stages. Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan was unable to participate due to US administrative restrictions.