Indian officiating gains global recognition as FIFA expands referee roster
NEW DELHI
Indian football officiating received a significant boost as three more referees, including a woman, were added to the FIFA International List of Match Officials for 2026, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) confirmed. The inclusion takes India’s total representation on the elite FIFA list to 19 match officials for the coming year.
Rachana Hasmukhbhai Kamani from Gujarat has been inducted into the FIFA list of women referees, marking another milestone for women officials in Indian football. In the men’s category, Ashwin Kumar from Puducherry and Aditya Purkayastha from Delhi earned their places after completing the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Referee Academy course in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Kamani is currently undergoing the same AFC programme, which is designed to prepare referees for international assignments.
In addition to the three referees, two Indians — Muralitharan Pandurangan of Puducherry and Peter Christopher of Maharashtra — have been named as FIFA Assistant Referees, further strengthening India’s presence among global match officials.
According to AIFF, the expanded list reflects sustained efforts to improve refereeing standards through structured education, fitness benchmarks and exposure to high-level competitions. Being part of the FIFA list enables officials to be appointed to international matches, including AFC tournaments and FIFA competitions, subject to selection.
For 2026, India will have eight referees on the FIFA list. They include Venkatesh R, Harish Kundu, Senthil Nathan Sekaran, Crystal John, Ashwin Kumar, Aditya Purkayastha, Ranjita Devi Tekcham and Rachana Kamani. The assistant referees list features Vairamuthu Parasuraman, Sumanta Dutta, Arun Sasidharan Pillai, Ujjal Halder, Muralitharan Pandurangan, Dipesh Manohar Sawant, Sourav Sarkar, Christopher Peter, Riiohlang Dhar and Elangbam Debala Devi. Vishal Mahendrabhai Vaja has been named as India’s FIFA futsal referee.
The development underlines India’s growing footprint in international football officiating and opens new opportunities for its referees on the global stage.