Mustapha Ghorbal to officiate, Lahlou Benbraham to serve as VAR in 2026 World Cup

Algerian referees Mustapha Ghorbal and Lahlou Benbraham have been named to officiate at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be held across the “,”United States”,”North America”], Canada and Mexico.

The announcement was made by FIFA in coordination with the Confederation of African Football.

Ghorbal, 40, will serve as an on-field referee, while Benbraham has been selected as part of the video assistant referee (VAR) team.

“Algerian refereeing continues to demonstrate its strength at both African and global levels,” a statement noted, highlighting Ghorbal’s performances in previous editions of the African Cup of Nations and CAF interclub competitions.

A native of Oran, Ghorbal has been an international referee since 2014. Over the past year, he has officiated major competitions, including the Club World Cup in the United States, qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, and several CAF interclub matches.

Ghorbal will be joined on the field by other African referees, including Jean-Jacques Ndala (DR Congo), Amin Omar (Egypt), Pierre Atcho (Gabon), and Dahane Beida (Mauritania).

Meanwhile, the African VAR team will feature Benbraham alongside Mahmoud Achour (Egypt) and Letticia Viana (Eswatini).

It is also expected that two Algerian assistant referees will accompany Ghorbal’s team, further strengthening Algeria’s presence at the tournament.

The selection underscores the rising recognition of Algerian referees in international football, with FIFA acknowledging their technical expertise and consistency in high-level competitions.

Both Ghorbal and Benbraham now prepare to represent Algeria on football’s biggest stage in 2026.