Excitement is building for the 2023 Women’s World Cup as 32 nations are in their final stages of preparation for the tournament to be held in Australia and New Zealand.
England and the USA are the favorites to win the biggest prize in women’s football, while France and Australia will be looking for a bit of luck to lead them to an unlikely triumph.
They will also be hoping to get the touch of green in terms of decisions made by the match officials, with the referees and their assistants sure to have an impact on the fate of the teams at certain points in the tournament.
The Sporting News takes a look at all the referees, assistant referees and VARs that will watch the 64 matches at the Women’s World Cup.
FURTHER: Which teams have qualified for the 2023 Women’s World Cup?
Referees for the Women’s World Cup 2023: complete list of referees
fifa Announced the complete list of officials who will participate in the Women’s World Cup on January 9.
There are 33 main referees, 55 assistant referees and 19 video match officials managing VAR.
These include representatives from all confederations, with UEFA being the one with the most officials in the tournament.
Referees at the 2023 Women’s World Cup
| Referee | Country |
|---|---|
| kate jacewicz | Australia |
| Casey Rebel | Australia |
| yoshimi yamashita | JPN |
| oh hyeon jeong | KOR |
| Kim Yu Jeong | KOR |
| bouchra karaboubi | SEA |
| Salima Mukansanga | APR |
| akhona makalima | RSA |
| Vincentia Amedome | garnish |
| Marie Soleil Beaudoin | CAN |
| myriam marcotte | CAN |
| Marianela Araya | CDN |
| Melissa Borjas | hon |
| katia garcia | Mexico |
| katja koroleva | USA |
| tori thought | USA |
| Laura Fortunato | ARG |
| Edina Alves Batista | SUPPORT |
| Maria Carvajal | CHI |
| Anahi Fernandez | URU |
| Emikar Calderas Barrera | COME |
| Anna-Marie Keighley | NZL |
| ivana martini | CRO |
| Galician cardigan | ENG |
| Stephanie Frappart | FRA |
| Lina Lehtovaara | FIN |
| Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi | ITA |
| Iuliana Demetrescu | rou |
| marta huerta de aza | ENG |
| tess olofson | SUE |
| Esther Staubli | SWI |
| katerina monzul | United Kingdom |
| cheryl foster | WALL |
Assistant referees at the 2023 Women’s World Cup
| refer | Country |
|---|---|
| joanna charaktis | Australia |
| Sarah Ho May Yee | Australia |
| Xie Li Jun | CHN |
| makoto bozono | JPN |
| Naomi Teshirogi | JPN |
| ramina tsoi | KGZ |
| heba saadia | PLEASE |
| Kim Kyoung-min | KOR |
| Misum Park | KOR |
| Lee Seul-yo | KOR |
| Carine Atezambong Fomo | RMC |
| Maria Njoroge | ACQUAINTANCE |
| fanta kone | MLI |
| queen Victoria | magnetic resonance |
| soukaina hamdi | SEA |
| Fatiha Jermoumi | SEA |
| Diana Chikotesha | ZAM |
| chantal boudreau | CAN |
| Shirley Perello | hon |
| Stephanie Yee Sing | JAM |
| Enedina Caudillo | Mexico |
| Karen Diaz Medina | Mexico |
| sandra ramirez | Mexico |
| mijensa rensch | SOUTH |
| felisha marshal | USA |
| brooke may | USA |
| kathryn nesbitt | USA |
| mariana de almedia | ARG |
| daiana milone | ARG |
| Neuza Back | SUPPORT |
| Leila Moreira da Cruz | SUPPORT |
| Loreto Toloza | CHI |
| Leslie Vasquez | CHI |
| Maria Blanco Bolivar | COLUMN |
| Monica Amoya | ecu |
| Migdalia Rodriguez Chirino | COME |
| Sarah Jones | NZL |
| Mary Salamasina | Sam |
| Sanja Rodak-Karisc | CRO |
| Polizeni Irodotou | CYP |
| lucia ratajova | CZE |
| Natalia Aspinall | ENG |
| karolin kaivoja | its T |
| elodie coppola | FRA |
| Manuela Nicholas | FRA |
| katrin rafalski | Germany |
| Chrysoula Kourompylia | gre |
| Anita Vlad | HUN |
| francesca di monte | ITA |
| Michelle O’Neill | GONNA |
| frank overtoom | NET |
| Paulina Baranowska | POL |
| mihaela tepusa | rou |
| Guadalupe Porras Ayuso | ENG |
| Susana Kung | SWI |
| Mariana Striletska | United Kingdom |
VAR officials at the 2023 Women’s World Cup
The Women’s World Cup will also feature VAR in every match, the second time video officials will be used after debuting at the 2019 tournament.
There has been an increase from 15 VAR operators to 19 in Australia and New Zealand.
Six of the VAR officers are women.
| Referee | Country |
|---|---|
| chris beath | Australia |
| Abdullah Al-Marri | QAT |
| Mohamed Taqi | SIN |
| carol anne chenard | CAN |
| drew fischer | CAN |
| Tatiana Guzman | IAS |
| Armando Villarreal | USA |
| Salome Di Iorio | ARG |
| Daiane Muniz dos Santos | SUPPORT |
| nicholas gallo | COLUMN |
| juan soto | COME |
| she devries | BEL |
| Sian Massey-Ellis | ENG |
| frame fritz | Germany |
| massimiliano irrati | ITA |
| Pol van Boekel | NET |
| Alexander Hernandez Hernandez | ENG |
| Juan Martinez Munuera | ENG |
Who refereed the 2019 Women’s World Cup final?
French official Stephanie Frappart refereed the 2019 Women’s World Cup final between the United States and the Netherlands.
The USA won the match 2-0 thanks to two goals in eight minutes of the second half, one of them a penalty awarded after a VAR review, as Frappart initially allowed a kick to Stefanie van der’s shoulder. Gragt will go unpunished. He handed out three yellow cards during the match.
Frappart is one of the most respected referees in the sport and has achieved several firsts as a referee. She took charge of the 2019 UEFA Super Cup match between Liverpool and Chelsea and made her men’s Champions League debut a year later when Juventus faced Dynamo Kyiv.
A regular fixture in men’s Ligue 1 matches, Frappart refereed the 2022 French Cup final between Nice and Nantes and closed the year as the main referee for the 2022 men’s World Cup match between Germany and Costa Rica.
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