Referees
A total of 84 elite match officials participated in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Elite Women Referees & Assistant Referees Seminar 2026, which was overseen by nine AFC Instructors—six technical and three fitness—ahead of the 2026/27 season.
Underlining the AFC’s commitment to provide tailormade support to its match officials and enhance refereeing standards, attendees refreshed their knowledge and sharpened their skills through a mix of theoretical and practical exercises.
The classroom sessions started with an online session on the first day that was conducted by David Elleray, Technical Director of the International Football Association Board (IFAB), who relayed the changes and clarification to the Laws of the Game for 2026/27.
Subsequent classes covered the topics of Positioning & Reading, Game Management, Challenges, Penalty Area Incidents, Handball, Tactical Fouls and Offside, during each of which participants were encouraged to engage in in-depth discussions.
AFC Elite Women Referees & Assistant Referees Seminar 2026
Item 1 of 12
Hands-on learning came in the form of practical modules, where the women experienced full-match simulations and received instant feedback in order to further hone their decision-making and other requisite skills.
The match officials were put through a comprehensive range of fitness tests during the seminar, providing a detailed evaluation of the participants’ physical conditioning, allowing them to identify areas for improvement as well.
With Asian women officials continuing to shine on the global stage recently, such as at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2025 and with the upcoming FIFA U-17 & U-20 Women’s World Cups taking place in the latter stages of 2026 prior to the FIFA Women's World Cup Brazil 2027™ next year, the seminar reinforces the AFC’s determination to maximise the potential of its referees.
Related News
- Referees
Asian officials take centre stage at inaugural FIFA Women’s Futsal World Cup
- Referees
Asian trio officiate 3rd place match at #U17WC
- Referees
AFC-UEFA partnership marks new era in referee development
- Referees
AFC Referee Academy advances development with latest on-site modules
- Referees
AFC Referee Academy Batch 5 concludes final onsite module
Item 1 of 5