Doha: The FIFA seminar for female referees nominated to officiate the FIFA Women's World Cup Brazil 2027 kicked off in Doha on Monday, and will continue until March 7. The seminar will witness the participation of 26 female referees, including 9 from Asia, 15 from Africa, and 2 from Oceania. This seminar is part of a series of FIFA seminars hosted by Qatar.
According to Qatar News Agency, the seminar topics include theoretical lectures on topics such as handball, fouls, offside, match management, movements, positioning, and practical applications using players, in addition to organizing a tournament with the participation of six teams in two groups to assess the general level of female referees.
Vice Chairman of FIFA's Referees Committee and Chairman of the Qatar Football Association's (QFA) Referees Committee, Hani Taleb Ballan, emphasized that Doha hosted several seminars, the most recent of which was the FIFA Video Assistant Referee (VAR) Seminar in January, in addition to a series of successful hosting events in Doha to prepare referees for major international tournaments.
Ballan thanked FIFA for its great confidence in the State of Qatar and for choosing it to be the station for preparing and naming female and male referees for the most important international tournaments. He noted that this seminar is very important because it represents one of the main stations for determining the final names in the next Women's World Cup 2027.
He indicated that the seminar will focus on technical, physical, and medical aspects under the supervision of a host of experts, specialists, and lecturers to achieve the greatest possible benefit.