A History! Women Become Referees in the 2023 Asian Cup

Japanese female referee Yoshimi Yamashita is among the referees who will lead the match in the 2023 Asian Cup Qatar/INSTAGRAM AFC.

JAKARTA – The 2023 Asian Cup which will take place early next year will create history. This event will be the debut of female referees as well as the implementation of video assistant referees (VAR) in all matches.

The Asian football parent (AFC) has confirmed that they have appointed a total of 74 match officials through an official announcement on the website, Thursday, September 14, 2023.

The details are 35 referees and 39 assistant referees, including two standby nominees for each position. These officials are selected from 18 member associations.

They were selected based on their game management abilities and competencies, technical knowledge, physical fitness, as well as their performances at the highest levels of continental and global football in recent years.

"For the first time female match officials are set to make their debut in Asia's most prestigious men's national team competition," the AFC said in a statement.

One of the female officials who will officiate the matches in the competition is Yoshimi Yamashita from Japan. She was previously one of six female officials historically selected for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar.

Yamashita will lead a star ensemble consisting of five female match officials appointed to the prestigious Asian match.

Among the female officials are the most experienced male referees including Alireza Faghani, who will officiate at his third Asian Cup.

Apart from that, there is also the name Abdulrahman Al-Jassim from Qatar. He previously had experience leading the match for third place in the Qatar 2022 World Cup between Croatia and Morocco.

Apart from the debut of female referees, this Asian Cup will also make history in the use of video assistant referees (VAR) in all matches after being successfully implemented since the quarter-finals in the last edition in the United Arab Emirates.

The 2023 Asian Cup will be held from January 12, 2024 to February 10, 2024. Indonesia will start its journey in this event from Group D with Japan, Vietnam and Iraq.