Leading the line-up is Abdulrahman Al Jassim of Qatar, a familiar figure in both AFC and FIFA competitions. Since receiving his FIFA badge in 2013, Al Jassim has officiated at some of the game’s biggest stages, including the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, where he took charge of the third-place play-off between Croatia and Morocco. The 38-year-old was also appointed as a VMO at the FIFA World Cup in Russia in 2018.

 

Joining him is Ahmed Al Kaf of Oman, who made his global debut at the FIFA U-20 World Cup Poland 2019. A respected name across AFC competitions, the 42-year-old has featured in consecutive AFC Asian Cups in 2019 and 2023, in addition to several editions of the AFC Champions League™.

The competition will also mark the return of Jordan’s Adham Makhadmeh to the global stage, after making his first FIFA tournament appearance at the FIFA U-20 World Cup Poland 2019, while also boasting appointments at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and the last two editions of the AFC Asian Cup™.

Rounding off the quartet is Ma Ning of China PR, who took charge of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ Final between Qatar and Jordan. Bringing with him a wealth of experience, the 46-year-old has officiated in every edition of the AFC Champions League™ over the past decade, in addition to featuring at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and FIFA Club World Cup 2025.

Meanwhile, the cast of Asian officials in the VAR room will include AFC Referee Academy Batch 2019 graduate Abdullah Alshehri of Saudi Arabia, alongside Khamis Al Marri of Qatar, whose recent appointments include the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 and the Paris Olympic Games.

Also acting as VMO will be Japan’s Jumpei Iida, following his stints at two back-to-back AFC Asian Cups and overseeing matches across AFC competitions for more than 12 years. 

Capping off Asian representation at the FIFA Arab Cup 2025 will be Thailand’s Sivakorn Pu-Udom, after having served as VMO at the Paris Olympic Games and the AFC U23 Asian Cup™ last year.