Mahsa Ghorbani, first Iranian woman referees men’s football match

Mahsa Ghorbani has made history in sports by refereeing an international football match as the first Iranian woman.

Ms. Ghorbani, a FIFA international referee since 2017, umpired on Sunday the U20 CAFA Championship match between Tajikistan and Afghanistan in the Kyrgyz city of Jalal-Abad.

Another female referee, Veronika Bernatskaya, officiated the match between Iran and Turkmenistan in the Championship series.

CAFA wrote on its Instagram page, “We are very excited to announce a major moment in the CAFA 2024 Championship. For the first time in history, two female referees judged men’s matches on the second day.”

“CAFAF is proud to promote women’s development and gender equality in all areas of football. This historic achievement emphasizes our commitment to empowering women in sports and breaking barriers,” it added.

Earlier this year, Ms. Ghorbani was appointed as a video assistant referee (VAR) official to monitor a match between Persepolis and Esteghlal on March 13 in Tehran’s derby.

She has previously officiated in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup and 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

IFP Editorial Staff

The IFP Editorial Staff is composed of dozens of skilled journalists, news-writers, and analysts whose works are edited and published by experienced editors specialized in Iran News. The editor of each IFP Service is responsible for the report published by the Iran Front Page (IFP) news website, and can be contacted through the ways mentioned in the "IFP Editorial Staff" section.