FIFA selects Nigerian Referee Kasimu Abdulsalam for U-17 World Cup duty

FIFA selects Nigerian Referee Kasimu Abdulsalam for U-17 World Cup duty


FIFA has selected Kasimu Abdulsalam, a Nigerian referee, as one of the officials for the upcoming 2026 FIFA men’s Under-17 World Cup.

Abdulsalam is the only Nigerian referee on the list of 81 officials to officiate at the competition, set to take place in Qatar.

His selection comes four years after Mimisen Iyorhe Calvin-Onwuka, another Nigerian match official, officiated at the 2022 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup as an assistant referee.

Abdulsalam has been a FIFA-licensed official since 2022, one of four centre referees selected from Africa, with eight assistant referees joining the quartet.

The 34-year-old had been a centre referee at two U-17 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments in 2023 and 2026.

Pierluigi Collina, FIFA’s chief refereeing officer and chairman of the FIFA referees committee, described the selected officials as the “most promising” referees who meet the demands going into the global football showpiece.

“For this year’s edition, we have again brought together some of the most promising officials from every confederation,” he said.

“They have been selected not only for their performances, but also for their ability to work as part of an international team and meet the demands of a major FIFA tournament.”

The 2026 men’s U-17 World Cup will be held from November 19 to December 13.

Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets missed out on the tournament after failing to advance beyond the West Africa Football Union (WAFU) stage of the qualifiers.

 

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