Rwandan assistant referee Alice Umutesi has been selected among six African referees to officiate at the upcoming 9th edition of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, set to take place in Morocco from October 17 to November 8, 2025.
FIFA confirmed Umutesi’s appointment on Thursday, naming her among 54 match officials, including 18 referees and 36 assistant referees, from 36 different FIFA Member Associations.
Umutesi, a former football player, has officiated in major events like WAFCON 2025 and the CAF Women’s Champions League. With her twin sister, she’s well known in Rwanda for refereeing both women’s and men’s games.
Alongside Umutesi, five other African officials have been selected, including referee Josephine Wanjiru from Kenya and Yacine Samassa from Mauritania, while Yara Atef (Egypt), Fides Bangurambona (Burundi), and Tabara Mbodji (Senegal) will serve as assistant referees.
List of referees nominated by FIFA to officiate at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup
This year’s FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup will be hosted in Morocco for the first time and feature an expanded 24-team format with all six FIFA confederations represented.
FIFA will introduce Football Video Support (FVS) at this level for the first time, following successful 2024 trials.
Unlike Video Assistant Referee, FVS has no dedicated video referees and allows coaches limited review requests for key incidents like goals, penalties, red cards, and mistaken identity.
Players are also permitted to suggest reviews to their coaches.
Umutesi is following in the footsteps of Radia Salima Mukansanga, who officiated at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, becoming not only the first woman but also the first Rwandan to do so.
