Referees
Taking place from November 3 to 27, the competition will see, for the first time, a fully home-grown cast of referees featuring in a FIFA competition, further reiterating the AFC’s resolve to establish its position as a model Confederation.
Leading the Asian contingent will be referees Faisal Sulaiman Albalawi (Saudi Arabia), Mohammed Ahmed Al-Shammari (Qatar), Choi Hyunjai (Korea Republic), Hiroki Kasahara (Japan) and Rustam Lutfullin (Uzbekistan) – all alumni of Batch 2017 of the AFC Referee Academy.
A regular in the Saudi Pro League, Albalawi served as Fourth Official in the AFC Champions League Elite™ and AFC Asian Qualifiers™ – Road to 26 earlier this year. He also officiated at the AFC U17 Asian Cup™ 2025, where the final match was overseen by Al-Shammari, who later undertook Video Match Official duties at the AFC Champions League Elite™ and AFC Champions League Two™.
Meanwhile, Korea Republic’s Choi Hyunjai, who contributed to the AFC Asian Qualifiers by assuming Assistant VAR responsibilities, also took the field at the AFC U20 Asian Cup™ 2025 in China PR, where he was joined by Japan’s Hiroki Kasahara, who was appointed referee in the Final between Australia and Saudi Arabia.
Joining the quartet will be another familiar face, Uzbekistan’s Lutfullin, who boasts refereeing experience across continental contests, including the AFC Champions League Elite™, the AFC Champions League Two™, the AFC Asian Qualifiers™, and the AFC U23 and U17 Asian Cups.
Supporting them will be 10 assistant referees. The Saudi Arabian duo of Faisal Nasser Alqahtani and Ibrahim Abdullah Aldakhil will be joined by Qatar’s Khaled Khalaf and Faisal Eid Alshammari, each of whom has delivered consistent performances across continental competitions.
Meanwhile, from Korea Republic, Bang Giyeol and Cheon Jin-hee bring their continental pedigree and will be complemented by Japan’s Takeshi Asada, a regular fixture in the Confederation’s top level competitions. Joining Asada will be fellow Japanese assistant referee Satoshi Michiyama.
Rounding off the Asian roster are Uzbekistan’s Sanjar Shayusupov, a mainstay in AFC competitions such as the AFC Champions League Two™ and the AFC U23 Asian Cup™, together with compatriot Akmal Giyosov, a familiar face in the Central Asian nation’s domestic circuit.