U17 WORLD CUP
No Nigerian on the list as FIFA unveils match officials for U-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2025
The FIFA Referees Committee has officially announced the roster of match officials who will take charge of games at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2025, scheduled to hold from October 17 to November 8.
A total of 54 officials — comprising 18 referees and 36 assistant referees — from 36 different countries have been selected for the prestigious youth tournament.
However, once again, no Nigerian referee or assistant referee is among the six African officials listed, continuing a concerning trend of absence at FIFA women’s tournaments.
“It is always exciting for me when announcements such as this one are made, but this one is even more special than normal,” said Pierluigi Collina, Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee. “This year’s tournament is the first of the annual competitions to be played in Morocco over the next five years, and the first edition with 24 participating teams.”
Collina emphasised the importance of both players and officials gaining international exposure: “It is vital for young players to be given the opportunity to test themselves against the very best in the world in their age category.
“The same goes for match officials — this is an invaluable chance to learn, improve and grow in their chosen fields, all for the good of the game.”
One of the innovations for this edition will be the continued use of the Football Video Support (FVS) system — a cost-effective alternative to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
Unlike VAR, FVS does not employ dedicated video match officials or automatically review every critical incident. Instead, team head coaches can request limited reviews during match-changing moments such as goals, penalties, direct red cards, or mistaken identity. Players may also advise their coaches to initiate a review.
FIFA’s Head of Women’s Refereeing, Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb, highlighted the growing impact of the tournament and its significance for women’s football.
“Morocco will be the home of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup for the next five years. The country shows such a passion for women’s football that we can’t wait for the tournament to start.
More diversity equals more opportunities for match officials to show just how much they are in tune with the game and its expectations.”
The 2025 edition marks a historic shift in the competition’s format, expanding the field to 24 teams for the first time — a move aimed at increasing global participation and development opportunities in women’s football.
While the expansion promises more opportunities for emerging footballing nations and officials, Nigeria’s continued absence from the officiating cadre raises fresh questions about the country’s investment in referee development at the international level, particularly in the women’s game.
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Africa’s ten representatives for the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025 have been confirmed, following the conclusion of the CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) play-offs on Saturday.
Egypt and Uganda claimed the final two African slots for the global tournament after crucial wins in the play-off round on Saturday, joining Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia, and Zambia as the continent’s flagbearers at the world stage.
The expanded tournament – the largest in the history of the U-17 World Cup – will feature 48 teams for the first time and will be held from 3 to 27 November 2025 in Qatar.
Uganda made history by qualifying for their maiden U-17 World Cup after a thrilling 2-1 comeback victory over The Gambia.
After conceding in under a minute, goals from James Bogere in the 13th and 33rd minutes turned the tide for the East Africans, who held firm to book a debut appearance on the world stage.
Later in the day, hosts Egypt delighted home fans with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Angola.
A deflected strike from Abdel Aziz El Zoghby and a second-half effort by Hamza Mohamed Abdel Karim sealed the ticket for the Pharaohs, despite Angola pulling one back late in the game.
The other eight African nations had already qualified by progressing to the knockout stages of the U-17 AFCON.
Among them are Senegal, defending African champions at youth level, and Côte d’Ivoire, who impressed with a resounding 4-2 win over Mali during the group stage.
Tunisia and South Africa also secured their places early after finishing strongly in their respective groups, while traditional powerhouses Morocco and Zambia return to the global stage with high expectations.
The U-17 World Cup has been a proving ground for future superstars including Michael Essien and Sammy Kuffuor, Nwankwo Kanu, Seydou Keita and Mahamadou Diarra.
Now, Africa’s new generation of talent will look to shine on the world stage and possibly follow in their illustrious footsteps.
With the continent’s ten teams now confirmed, the focus shifts to preparations and the final draw, as Africa prepares to challenge for global glory in Doha later this year.
-CAF
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The FIFA Under-17 World Cup will be held annually instead of biennially, with the next five editions from 2025 to take place in Qatar, world soccer’s governing body said on Thursday.
Like the senior men’s World Cup, the Under-17 tournament will be expanded to 48 teams, FIFA said.
The women’s Under-17 World Cup will also be played annually from 2025, with Morocco hosting an expanded 24-team event until 2029. The 2022 edition had 16 teams.
“This followed a global call for expressions of interest in hosting both competitions, with a focus on leveraging the use of existing footballing infrastructure in the interest of tournament efficiencies and sustainability,” FIFA said.
The last men’s Under-17 World Cup was held in 2023 with Germany winning their first title. Spain won the women’s edition in 2022.
Qatar hosted the 2022 senior men’s World Cup in winter while Morocco are one of the co-hosts for the 2030 edition.
FIFA also said a record $2.25 billion had been earmarked for the 2023-2026 cycle for investment in football development.
“Thanks to its solid financial governance, FIFA is well on track to exceed its budgetary target of $11 billion for the 2023-2026 cycle,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said at the FIFA Council meeting.
Infantino also called for the imposition of stricter measures to combat racism. Last month, he called for teams to face automatic defeat if their fans displayed racist behaviour.
“The 74th FIFA Congress will mark a milestone in FIFA’s ongoing efforts to fight racism with new and stricter measures to be applied worldwide in cooperation with all our member associations and the confederations,” Infantino added.
The FIFA Under-17 World Cup will be held annually instead of biennially, with the next five editions from 2025 to take place in Qatar, world soccer’s governing body said on Thursday.
Like the senior men’s World Cup, the Under-17 tournament will be expanded to 48 teams, FIFA said.
The women’s Under-17 World Cup will also be played annually from 2025, with Morocco hosting an expanded 24-team event until 2029. The 2022 edition had 16 teams.
“This followed a global call for expressions of interest in hosting both competitions, with a focus on leveraging the use of existing footballing infrastructure in the interest of tournament efficiencies and sustainability,” FIFA said.
The last men’s Under-17 World Cup was held in 2023 with Germany winning their first title. Spain won the women’s edition in 2022.
Qatar hosted the 2022 senior men’s World Cup in winter while Morocco are one of the co-hosts for the 2030 edition.
FIFA also said a record $2.25 billion had been earmarked for the 2023-2026 cycle for investment in football development.
“Thanks to its solid financial governance, FIFA is well on track to exceed its budgetary target of $11 billion for the 2023-2026 cycle,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said at the FIFA Council meeting.
Infantino also called for the imposition of stricter measures to combat racism. Last month, he called for teams to face automatic defeat if their fans displayed racist behaviour.
“The 74th FIFA Congress will mark a milestone in FIFA’s ongoing efforts to fight racism with new and stricter measures to be applied worldwide in cooperation with all our member associations and the confederations,” Infantino added.
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