FIFA approves new Egyptian international referees list

FIFA has officially approved the new international list of Egyptian referees for 2026, which was submitted by Colombian Oscar Ruiz, head of the Egyptian FA Referees Committee.

The list features several changes compared to this year, reflecting Ruiz’s vision for renewal and development.​

Veteran referee Mahmoud El Banna is no longer on the international list after announcing his retirement, having learned he would be excluded by Ruiz’s decision. Ahmed El Ghandour has been moved from the on field international referees to the VAR list, while Sami Helhel has been dropped from the video referees panel. In contrast, Mohamed El Ghazy, Mahmoud Wafaa, and referee Rahma Youssef have all been added to the international roster for the first time.​

The on field referees list now includes: Amin Omar, Mahmoud Nagi, Mohamed Ma’rouf, Mahmoud El Basiony, Mohamed Mahmoud Kassem (Hamada El Qallawi), Mohamed El Ghazy, Mahmoud Wafaa, Shahenda El Maghraby, Nora Samir and Rahma Youssef. The VAR list features Mahmoud Ashour, Hossam Azab, Wael Farhan, Abdel Aziz El Sayed, Ahmed El Ghandour, Tarek Magdi and Mohamed Ali El Shenawy.​

Assistant referees, futsal and beach soccer referees also received updated international lists, with several male and female officials included across all categories. Notably, Amin Omar will attend a FIFA camp in Doha for 2026 World Cup candidate referees, while Mahmoud Ashour joins a separate VAR preparation camp, both part of FIFA’s build up to the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico.