Egyptian referee Shahenda El Maghraby has been appointed to officiate the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final between Cameroon and Malawi, marking a major achievement for Egyptian refereeing.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) referees’ committee selected El Maghraby as the referee for the tournament’s concluding match. The appointment was announced on Sunday by the media centre of the Egyptian Football Association.
El Maghraby will be supported by a multinational officiating team for the final. Mauritius’ Quincy Claudia Victoria has been appointed first assistant referee, while Tunisia’s Houda Afifi will serve as the second assistant.
Amadoum Fenicia has been named fourth official, with Benin’s Nafissatou Yakine appointed as the reserve referee.
The Video Assistant Referee team will be led by Tunisia’s Dorsaf Ganouati, who will take charge of VAR operations. Morocco’s Zakaria Bachtaoui and Letizia Antonella Viana will assist her in the video operation.
Senegal’s Fatou Gaye has been appointed referee observer for the match.
The selection gives El Maghraby a place in the history of women’s football officiating. She will become the first Egyptian and Arab woman to referee a Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final since the competition was launched.
Her appointment therefore represents an unprecedented achievement for women’s refereeing in both Egypt and the Arab world. It also provides a significant moment for Egyptian football, despite the disappointment surrounding the tournament’s final stage.
CAF’s decision places El Maghraby at the centre of the tournament’s most important fixture, with Cameroon and Malawi scheduled to contest the title. Her role as the match referee means she will lead the on-field officiating team, while the assistant referees, fourth official, reserve referee and VAR officials complete the matchday appointments.
The final will also showcase the continental nature of the tournament’s refereeing structure. Officials from Egypt, Mauritius, Tunisia, Benin, Morocco and Senegal have been selected for responsibilities across the pitch, in the technical area and in the video review operation.
For El Maghraby, however, the appointment carries the greatest historical significance. No Egyptian or Arab woman had previously been chosen to referee the final of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. Her selection establishes a new milestone for Egyptian and Arab women officials and marks a landmark moment in the development of women’s refereeing in the region.
