For the eighth time… an Emirati refereeing team led by Omar Al Ali in the 2026 World Cup

FIFA announced the selection of an Emirati refereeing team led by international referee Omar Al Ali, along with assistant referees Mohamed Ahmed and Mohamed Obaid, among the crews that will manage the 2026 World Cup matches.

The upcoming edition of the tournament is scheduled to be held in the United States of America, Mexico and Canada, with the participation of 48 teams.

The selection of the Emirati arbitration team, led by Omar Al Ali, came after the advanced arbitration levels he presented during the last period, which qualified him to be present in this global event for the first time in his career.

Omar Al Ali, who is considered the first Emirati referee to graduate from the AFC Future Referees Project in 2014, began his refereeing career in 2010, and won the international badge in 2015.

This is the eighth time that the Emirati referee has been present in the World Cup, after former World Cup referee Ali Bujessim participated three times in the 1994, 1998 and 2002 editions, along with former assistant referee Issa Darwish in the 2006 edition in Germany, and assistant referee Saleh Al Marzouqi in the 2010 edition in South Africa, as well as referee Muhammad Abdullah Hassan, who participated in the 2018 edition in Russia and the 2022 edition in Qatar.