Referees
The Asian contingent will be led by referees Lara Lee of Australia and Veronika Bernatskaia of the Kyrgyz Republic – both of whom are regular fixtures in FIFA and AFC competitions – at the ninth edition of the tournament, which will be held from October 17 to November 8 in the host cities of Sale and Rabat.
Lee, who made her debut on the global stage at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica in 2022, was also selected as a Video Assistant Referee at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in India later that same year.
Bernatskaia, meanwhile, officiated at her first FIFA tournament during the 2024 edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia. A consistent presence in the AFC’s officiating pool, she most recently took charge of the AFC Women’s Champions League™ Semi-finals in May.
The duo will be joined by assistant referee Heba Saadieh, who made history as the first-ever Palestinian woman to officiate at the FIFA Women’s World Cup, and Australia’s Emma Kocbek, who recently became the first female referee to be appointed to an A-League Men’s Grand Final.
Also returning to the FIFA stage is Kyrgyz Republic’s Ramina Tsoi, whose officiating resume includes the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cups in 2022 and 2024, as well as the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023.
Rounding out the AFC’s representatives is assistant referee Suwida Wongkraisorn from Thailand, set to feature in the tournament for the second consecutive edition after her role at the 2024 edition in the Dominican Republic.
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