Ghanaian official Portia Oppong has received another international appointment after being selected as Reserve Assistant Referee for the 2026 Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between Cote d’Ivoire and Mauritania.
The first-leg match will be played at the Agora de Port-Bouet in Abidjan, marking the latest step in Oppong’s growing career in beach soccer officiating.
Her appointment follows a series of domestic assignments across Ghana, where she has worked in football, futsal and beach soccer. She began refereeing in 2016, having completed senior high school the previous year, and started her career in Akyem Oda in the Eastern Region.
Oppong was the referee for the 2026 Ghana Beach Soccer Premier League final between Sea Sharks and Vodza Iron Breakers on September 27, 2026. The title decider took place at the Ada Assurance Beach Soccer Arena.
Jasper Robinson and Emmanuel B. Mensah served as assistant referees for that final, while Theophilus Duncan was appointed fourth official.
Her domestic experience also includes the Beach Soccer Premier League finals and third-place playoff at Keta Beach on November 5, 2023. She was additionally listed among the match officials for the opening round of the competition in Zone Two in June 2024.
Oppong has also officiated in women’s football. In November 2022, she was appointed assistant referee for the Women’s Premier League match between Hasaacas Ladies and Ridge City.
She returned to the same role in February 2023 for the fixture between Soccer Intellectuals and Berry Ladies.
Oppong’s inclusion on the FIFA-approved beach soccer referees roster for 2026 was a landmark moment for Ghana. It made her the country’s first female referee to be recognised in that category.
Her latest appointment in Cote d’Ivoire adds an international fixture to a progression that has taken her from local matches in the Eastern Region to officiating roles across several forms of the game.
