FIFA names over 100 match officials for 2023 Women’s World Cup
The FIFA Referees Committee has released the names of the match officials who will officiate the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Thirty-three referees, 55 assistant referees and 19 video match officials will be in charge of the tournament.
“Today, the FIFA Referees Committee announced the names of the match officials selected for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023,” the statement read.
The selection of all 107 officials, according to the FIFA Referees Committee, was done in close consultation with the six confederations on the basis of the officials’ qualifications and past performances at FIFA tournaments as well as other international and national championships.
The World Cup will have female video match officials for the first time ever. Selected match officials represent the top level of women’s officiating in the world and will attend preparation workshops in Doha and Montevideo.
“As always, the criteria we have used is ‘quality first,’ and the selected on-field match officials represent the highest level of refereeing worldwide,” stated the chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, Pierluigi Collina.
It further stated, “We all remember the very successful FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 in France.” The high standard of refereeing contributed significantly to that success. The aim for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2023 is to repeat that success and to convince again with excellent referees’ performances.”
Collina asserts that despite the pandemic-related efforts, the committee had adequate time to give the candidates proper preparation.
“As we did for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, we are announcing these selections well in advance to be able to work in a purposeful and focused manner with all those who have been appointed for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, monitoring them over the coming months. “From the selected referees, we expect a rigorous and focused preparation for the Women’s World Cup, a competition that FIFA and its president hold in the highest of regards.”
The match officials will continue to get essential support from FIFA, according to Kari Seitz, Head of Women Refereeing for FIFA, who emphasised how important the match officials’ preparation is.
