Wednesday 17 December 2025 – 01:54 PM
FIFA is preparing to unveil the international list of referees for the year 2026, which is the expected step in the coming hours, as FIFA will announce the list via its official website.
A large segment of Egyptian referees is awaiting FIFA’s announcement of the international list of referees, and the identity of the Egyptian referees who have been included in the list for the first time, as well as the names that have been excluded from the list, will become clear.
Colombian Oscar Ruiz, head of the main referees committee of the Football Association, imposed a state of secrecy on his choices for the international list of Egyptian referees for the year 2026, but the recent period witnessed some leaks about the exclusion of names such as arena referee Mahmoud Al-Banna as well as referee Ahmed Al-Ghandour, and the latter was placed among the international video referees, in addition to the exclusion of international assistant Sami Hilal from the international list.
The past period also witnessed frequent news about the inclusion of a number of young referees and assistants to the international list for the year 2026, and at the forefront of those names are the referee, Mustafa Al-Shahdi, and the referee, Muhammad Al-Ghazi.
During the recent period, international referee Mahmoud Al-Banna announced his retirement from arbitration permanently in response to the news of his exclusion from the international list of referees, which is the same step taken by international assistant referee Sami Halhal.
The Colombian duo, Mahmoud Al-Banna and Sami Hilal, attacked Oscar Ruiz, head of the referees’ committee, criticizing his method and policy in managing the Egyptian referees’ committee and his insistence on excluding them from the international list.
