# FIFA names Nigerian referee among 81 officials for U-17 World Cup

> Nigeria will end a 25-year wait for a centre referee at the FIFA U-17 World Cup after Zamfara-born official Abiola Kasimu Abdulsalam was selected among the match officials for this year’s tournament in Qatar.

- Published: 2026-09-24T11:30:34.523Z
- Updated: 2026-09-24T11:30:34.523Z
- 1 source
- Topics: Politics
- Involves: Abiola Kasimu Abdulsalam, FIFA, FIFA-listed referees (he became FIFA-listed in 2022 and has retained his international badge), FIFA’s list as the only Nigerian centre referee, Pierluigi Collina, a post on FIFA’s website naming 81 officials for the tournament (27 referees and 54 assistant referees) from 36 member associations, the Nigerian referees selected for the 2025 African Nations Championship (he was the only Nigerian referee selected), the group of four referees selected from Africa for the competition, the match officials for this year’s tournament in Qatar, the referees assigned to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixture between Cameroon and Comoros

## How it developed

- 2026-09-24T11:30:34.523Z - Punch: [FIFA names Nigerian referee among 81 officials for U-17 World Cup](https://punchng.com/fifa-names-nigerian-referee-among-81-officials-for-u-17-world-cup/)

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