FIFA unveiled on Tuesday, September 22, its list of 81 international match officials selected for the 2026 FIFA U17 World Cup in Qatar, which will run from November 19 to December 13. The list includes Moroccan referees Mohamed El Baroudi and Abdessamad Abertoune.
El Baroudi has been selected as a referee, while Abertoune will serve as an assistant referee. They are among the 12 African officials chosen by FIFA for the tournament.
The 81 officials include 27 referees and 54 assistant referees from 36 member associations.
The tournament will feature 48 teams and 104 matches, all of which will be played at Aspire Zone, while the final is scheduled to take place at Khalifa International Stadium.
This will be the second edition of the FIFA U17 World Cup to be held annually in Qatar as part of the country’s five-year hosting cycle.
Morocco, which reached the quarter-finals in 2023 and 2025, qualified for the tournament after finishing fourth at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco in June.
