Salima Mukansanga is among the 36 referees selected to officiate at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
After becoming the first woman to handle a match at the men’s AFCON during the 2021 edition in Cameroon, the Rwandan will join five other women in Qatar when the World Cup kicks off in November.
It will be the first time to have female match officials in the competition. Among the six selected, there are three referees Mukansanga included. They will be assisted by the three others.
“This concludes a long process that began several years ago with the deployment of female referees at Fifa men’s junior and senior tournaments. In this way, we clearly emphasize it is quality that counts for us and not gender” said the chairman of Fifa’s referees committee Pierluigi Collina.
“I would hope that in the future, the selection of elite women’s match officials for important men’s competitions will be perceived as something normal and no longer as sensational.”
In total, 36 referees, 69 assistant referees and 24 video match officials have been chosen for this year’s event in Qatar.
