34-year-old Rwandan international referee, Salima Mukansanga has been appointed as the only female African referee to officiate at the men’s World Cup in Qatar that would be kicking off on Sunday, 20th November to Sunday, 18th December.
FIFA has selected female referees for the first time in the men’s World Cup’s 92-year history.
Salima Mukansanga is now being celebrated across the globe as the first and only African female to be appointed at the men’s World Cup as Referee.
Mukansanga is one of the three female referees that would be officiating in the 2022 Men’s World Cup in Qatar.
Mukansanga was also an official at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France.
In 2022, Mukansanga became the first woman to referee at the African Cup of Nations, leading out an all-woman officiating team of Fatiha Jermoumi (Morocco), Carine Atemzabong (Cameroon), and Bouchra Karboubi (Morocco) as the VAR.
She has officiated at the Olympics, FIFA Women’s World Cup, Africa Women Cup of Nations and CAF Women’s Champions League.
The other two female referees that would be officiating at the World are:
Stéphanie Frappart from France.
Yoshimi Yamashita from Japan.
