Five Indians join Fifa list of match officials for 2026

Dubai: Five more Indian match officials have earned a place on the Fifa International List of Match Officials for 2026. Rachana Kamani of Gujarat has been included in the women referees’ category, while Ashwin Kumar (Puducherry) and Aditya Purkayastha (Delhi) have been named among the men referees.

In addition, Muralitharan Pandurangan from Puducherry and Peter Christopher of Maharashtra have been inducted as assistant referees. Along with their FIFA listing, Ashwin Kumar and Aditya Purkayastha have successfully completed the AFC Referee Academy course held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Rachana Kamani is currently undertaking the same programme. With these additions, India now has 19 match officials on the Fifa list for 2026.

Meanwhile, the draw for the 2026 Fifa World Cup was held at the John F. Kennedy Center, marking the beginning of preparations for the tournament’s first-ever 48-team edition. Set to be hosted across Canada, Mexico, and the United States, the expanded format promises a record number of matches and several high-profile group-stage encounters.

Morocco, one of the standout teams from the previous World Cup, has been placed in Group C alongside Brazil, with Scotland and Haiti also in the group, making qualification a tough task. England and Croatia headline Group L, a strong pairing that leaves Ghana and Panama facing an uphill battle to advance.

Group B could see Italy join Canada, Qatar, and Switzerland if the former progresses through the European play-offs, making the group highly competitive and unpredictable. The tournament will kick off with hosts Mexico taking on South Africa, while Group A also features South Korea and the eventual winner of a play-off involving Denmark, North Macedonia, the Czech Republic, and Ireland.

Referees: Venkatesh R., Harish Kundu, Senthil Nathan Sekaran, Crystal John, Ashwin Kumar, Aditya Purkayastha, Ranjita Devi Tekcham, Rachana Hasmukhbhai Kamani.

Assistant referees: Vairamuthu Parasuraman, Sumanta Dutta, Arun Sasidharan Pillai, Ujjal Halder, Muralitharan Pandurangan, Dipesh Manohar Sawant, Sourav Sarkar, Christopher Peter, Riiohlang Dhar, and Elangbam Debala Devi.

Futsal referee: Vishal Mahendrabhai Vaja

With inputs from IANS