The female referee from Laos was not invited to officiate at the 2026 Asian Cup.

A total of 45 officials from 20 member associations were appointed, including 14 main referees and 16 assistant referees (with two reserve referees for each role), along with 11 Video Assistant Referees assigned to manage this continental tournament.

The tournament will be held at world-class stadiums across three host cities: Perth, Gold Coast, and Sydney, including venues that previously hosted the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023.

The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system will be applied for the first time starting from the group stage in the tournament’s history, marking a significant milestone in AFC’s ongoing efforts to maintain the highest standards in match officiating.

The referee panel is led by experienced officials such as Casey Reibelt (Australia), Yoshimi Yamashita (Japan), along with Oh Hyeon-jeong and Kim Yu-jeong (South Korea).

All four officiated at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 and will continue to lend their expertise in this top-level continental women’s national team competition.

This group will be joined by Lara Lee (Australia), Mahnaz Zokaee (Iran), Asaka Koizumi (Japan), Pansa Chaisanit (Thailand), and Veronika Bernatskaia (Kyrgyzstan), all of whom have participated in previous Women’s Asian Cups.

Marking an important milestone for the AFC Referee Academy, the list also includes two former academy graduates, Dong Fangyu and Tian Jin, both from China.

In 2024, Dong Fangyu made history by becoming the first graduate of the AFC Referee Academy to be assigned to a FIFA tournament, officiating at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia. Meanwhile, Tian Jin also made history as the first female referee to officiate a professional men’s match in the Chinese Super League.

There are also debutants at the tournament, including Supiree Testhomya (Thailand), Le Thi Ly (Vietnam), and Doumouh Ibrahim Albakkar (Lebanon). Supiree has officiated matches in regional competitions, including the AFF Women’s Championship 2022, while Albakkar is the first female referee to take charge of a men’s Lebanese Premier League game.

Closing the list of newcomers is referee Ly from Vietnam, who officiated at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2024 and has also officiated matches in AFC men’s club competitions.

LIST OF REFEREES AND ASSISTANTS APPOINTED FOR THE ASIAN CUP 2026