The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has unveiled the full lineup of match officials selected to handle games at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, set to take place in Morocco starting next month.
The group comprises central referees, assistant referees, and video assistant referees chosen from various countries across Africa.Algeria, Egypt, Mauritania, and the host nation Morocco will each be represented by two centre referees, whereas Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, and Rwanda have one apiece.
In total, CAF has appointed 28 main referees and 14 specialists for the VAR system.One striking detail is the complete absence of officials from Nigeria and Tanzania, two countries with a long history of contributing referees to major continental tournaments. CAF has stated that selections were strictly merit-based, focusing on physical preparedness, recent performances, and possession of VAR qualifications.
The decision has sparked wider conversations about how refereeing standards are evolving across the continent and the importance of sustained training initiatives.
