Jalal Jaid, Al-Kashaf, and Al-Fariq Among Them: Five Moroccan Referees Selected for AFCON 2025

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced the list of referees who will officiate matches at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament, scheduled to take place in the Kingdom of Morocco from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026. The list comprises 73 officials, including 28 center referees, 14 Video Assistant Referees (VAR), and 31 assistant referees.

Arab referees will have a notable presence, with 11 officials from Arab nations selected as center referees. These include Moroccans Jalal Jaid and Mostafa Al-Kashaf; Algerians Youcef Gamouh and Mustapha Ghorbal; Egyptians Mohamed Mansour Maarouf and Amin Mohamed Omar; Tunisians Abdelaziz Bouh, Dahane Beida, and Mehrez Malki; Sudanese Ali Mahmoud Ismail; and Somali Omar Abdulkadir Artan.

For the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system, eight Arab officials have been selected. They are Moroccan Hamza Al-Fariq; Algerian Lahlou Benbraham; Egyptians Mahmoud Ashour and Hossam Haggag; Tunisian Haythem Guirat; Sudanese Abdelaziz Yasser; Libyan Ahmed Abdul Razzaq; and Mauritanian Babacar Sarr.

Among the assistant referees, the list includes Moroccans Zakaria Brinsi and Mostafa Akarkad; Algerians Akram Zerhouni and Adel Abban; Egyptians Ahmed Taha and Mahmoud Abou El-Regal; Tunisian Khalil Hassani; Sudanese Mohamed Abdallah Ibrahim; and Ahmed Abdul Razzaq from Djibouti.