Ndala dropped as FIFA unveils African referees for 2026 World Cup

Renowned Congolese official Jean-Jacques Ndala has been excluded from FIFA’s list of African referees selected for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with the governing body naming seven centre referees, 10 assistant referees and two Video Assistant Referees (VAR) from the continent, Sport360NG reports. 

The tournament, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, is scheduled to take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026, featuring an expanded 48-team format.

Ndala’s omission is among the most notable, alongside Senegal’s Issa Sy and Mali’s Boubou Traoré, who also failed to make the final shortlist.

The Congolese referee’s absence follows the controversial Africa Cup of Nations final in Morocco earlier this year. Ndala officiated the match, which was marred by protests from Senegal players who briefly walked off the pitch, forcing a temporary suspension. Although Senegal initially secured a 1-0 victory, the Confederation of African Football’s appeals committee later overturned the result in favour of Morocco.

Africa’s officiating contingent for the World Cup will include representatives from Algeria, Egypt, Gabon, Morocco, Mauritania, South Africa, Cameroon, Angola and Somalia.

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

Ghorbal emerges as the most experienced among the group, having officiated at multiple Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, including the 2018 and 2022 editions. Meanwhile, Artan’s inclusion marks a historic milestone as he becomes the first Somali referee to feature at a FIFA World Cup.

The assistant referees named are 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).

For VAR duties, FIFA selected Ashour Mahmoud of Egypt and Morocco’s Hamza El Fariq.

Egypt has the highest number of officials on the list with four representatives, while Morocco, Algeria and Gabon each contribute three. South Africa has two officials, with the remaining countries represented by one apiece.