The trio are part of a wider group that includes 52 referees, 88 assistant referees, and 30 video match officials selected for the tournament.
Dubai: Referee Omar Al Ali, assistant referee Mohamed Al Hammadi, and video match official Mohammed Obaid Khadim will represent the UAE at the FIFA World Cup this summer.
The trio will take part in the tournament scheduled to kick off on June 11 across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
FIFA confirmed that 52 referees, 88 assistant referees, and 30 video assistant referees (VARs) have been selected from across all six continental confederations. The officials represent 54 member national associations and will officiate matches at the world’s biggest football tournament.
Selections were made under FIFA’s “quality first” principle, with officials evaluated based on consistency of performance in recent FIFA tournaments as well as international and domestic competitions.
Pierluigi Collina, FIFA’s Chief Refereeing Officer and Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, said: “The selected match officials are among the very best in the world. They come from a wider pool that has been identified and closely monitored over the past three years.”
“They have attended seminars and officiated at FIFA tournaments. In addition, their performances in domestic and international matches have been regularly assessed.
“The selected officials have received, and will continue to receive, comprehensive support from fitness coaches and medical staff, including physiotherapists and a mental performance specialist.
“Our goal is to ensure they are in optimal physical and mental condition when they arrive in Miami on May 31.
“This year’s 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the biggest in history, featuring a 48-team format and 104 matches played across the most extensive geographical footprint in the tournament’s history,” Collina added.
“It will be the largest FIFA Team One ever, with 41 more match officials than at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Each official must be ready to be appointed for any match and contribute actively to ensuring refereeing success at the World Cup.”
Ali Bujsaim became the first UAE match official to appear at a FIFA World Cup 1994, officiating at the tournament held in the United States. He later went on to referee at the FIFA World Cup 1998 and the FIFA World Cup 2002, further strengthening UAE representation on football’s biggest stage.
More recently, an all-Emirati officiating team handled a group-stage match between France and Peru at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, with Mohammed Abdullah Hassan as referee, assisted by Mohammed Ahmed Al Hammadi and Hassan Al Mahry.
