Renowned Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala has been dropped from FIFA’s list of match officials for the 2026 World Cup, following months of intense scrutiny over his handling of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final.
Ndala, who was widely regarded as one of Africa’s top referees and a strong candidate for the tournament, was officially excluded from the final officiating list released by FIFA ahead of the expanded 48-team World Cup scheduled for the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
His omission comes just months after he took charge of the highly controversial AFCON final in Rabat, where several contentious decisions—including a disallowed goal and a late VAR penalty call—sparked protests from players and briefly disrupted the match. The incident later drew widespread debate across African football circles.
Although the Confederation of African Football (CAF) reportedly cleared Ndala of professional wrongdoing and defended aspects of his performance, FIFA has taken a different stance by excluding him from its World Cup refereeing pool, effectively ending his hopes of officiating at the global tournament.
Ndala, who has been FIFA-listed since 2013 and has officiated at multiple CAF and FIFA youth competitions, had previously been considered among the continent’s most experienced referees. He was even assigned to high-profile matches in recent international tournaments before the controversy.
FIFA’s decision also forms part of a broader selection process that saw several prominent African referees omitted from the final list as the governing body finalised its officiating team for the tournament.
The exclusion marks a significant setback in Ndala’s career, coming at a time when he was expected to feature on football’s biggest stage.
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