New Delhi, Dec 31 (IANS) Five more Indian match officials have been added to the FIFA International List of Match Officials for 2026. Rachana Kamani (Gujarat), along with Ashwin Kumar (Puducherry) and Aditya Purkayastha (Delhi), have been added to the FIFA list of women and men referees, respectively.

Meanwhile, Muralitharan Pandurangan (Puducherry) and Peter Christopher (Maharashtra) have been inducted as Assistant Referees. Ashwin Kumar and Aditya Purkayestha, along with making the FIFA list, have also completed their AFC Referee Academy course in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Rachana Kamani is currently undergoing the same course. As many as 19 match officials from India are a part of the FIFA list for 2026.

The draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup was conducted at the John F. Kennedy Center, setting the stage for the first 48-team edition of football’s biggest tournament. With expanded group formats and an unprecedented number of matches across Canada, Mexico, and the United States, the draw ceremony delivered several headline-grabbing clashes.

Morocco, the surprise package of the last World Cup, has been drawn with Brazil in Group C, putting Scotland and Haiti in the group under significant pressure.

England and Croatia find themselves together in Group L, a pairing of two sides widely considered capable of challenging for the title. For Ghana and Panama, progressing from this group will be a major challenge.

If Italy advances through the European play-offs, it will join Canada, Qatar, and Switzerland in Group B. Which teams will advance from this group remains highly uncertain.

In the opening match of the tournament, Mexico will face South Africa on home soil. South Korea is also in Group A, alongside the winner of the play-off between Denmark, North Macedonia, the Czech Republic, and Ireland.

Indians in the FIFA International list of match officials 2026:

Referees: Venkatesh R., Harish Kundu, Senthil Nathan Sekaran, Crystal John, Ashwin Kumar, Aditya Purkayastha, Ranjita Devi Tekcham, Rachana Hasmukhbhai Kamani.

Assistant referees: Vairamuthu Parasuraman, Sumanta Dutta, Arun Sasidharan Pillai, Ujjal Halder, Muralitharan Pandurangan, Dipesh Manohar Sawant, Sourav Sarkar, Christopher Peter, Riiohlang Dhar, and Elangbam Debala Devi.

Futsal referee: Vishal Mahendrabhai Vaja

–IANS

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