The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has released the full list of referees and VAR officials for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). The tournament will take place in Morocco. Notably, no Nigerian officials were included in the selection.

CAF confirmed that 28 centre referees and 14 VAR specialists will manage matches throughout the competition. Regional representation is strong, with Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, and Mauritania each having two centre referees chosen.

Among those selected for VAR duties are Algeria’s Lahlou Benbraham, Egypt’s Mahmoud Ashour, and Tunisia’s Haythem Guirat. Morocco’s Hamza El Fariq and Senegal’s Djibril Camara also made the VAR list.

The AFCON 2025 event is scheduled from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026. Hosts Morocco will kick off the tournament against Comoros in Rabat on Sunday, December 21.

CAS Upholds Tanzania’s AFCON Qualification, Dismisses Guinea’s Appeal

In other significant news, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed an appeal filed by the Guinean Football Federation. Guinea had sought to overturn Tanzania’s qualification for the upcoming AFCON tournament.

The dispute originated from a qualifier played on November 19, 2024. Tanzania secured a 1-0 victory in that match. Guinea then argued that the match should be awarded to them with a 3-0 score. They claimed Tanzania had fielded a player wearing the wrong shirt number, which they insisted created an unfair tactical advantage.

CAS, however, ruled against Guinea. The court determined that the error was purely administrative. It stated that the mistake did not impact the outcome of the match. This decision supports CAF’s earlier stance, which had also rejected Guinea’s request to replace Tanzania at the finals.

Consequently, Tanzania remains in Group C for AFCON 2025. They are set to face Nigeria’s Super Eagles, Tunisia’s Carthage Eagles, and Uganda’s Cranes. Tanzania’s opening fixture will be against Nigeria in Fez on Tuesday, December 23.