Egyptian referee Shahinda Al-Maghrabi has made history after being chosen by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to officiate the Women's Africa Cup of Nations final between Cameroon and Malawi.
The Egyptian Football Association's media center announced on Sunday that Shahinda Al-Maghrabi has been chosen as the referee for the final, making her the first Egyptian and Arab female referee to officiate the final match of the tournament since the start of the Women's Africa Cup of Nations.
The assistant refereeing team includes Mauritania’s Quincy Claudia Victoria and Tunisia’s Houda Afine, while Amadou Fenia takes on the role of fourth official, and Benin’s Nafissatou Yakin serves as reserve referee.
At the level of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology, Tunisian Dorsaf Jenawati is in charge, assisted by Moroccan Zakaria Bachtaoui and Leticia Antonella Viana, while the task of monitoring the referees has been assigned to Senegalese Fatou Gaye.
The selection of Shahinda Al-Maghrabi to officiate the final is a culmination of her career in African refereeing, and reflects the growing presence of Egyptian female referees on the continental scene, after the Egyptian referee succeeded in reaching one of the most prominent matches on the African women's football agenda.
The tournament final represents a significant milestone in the Moroccan's career, especially since managing the final match requires selecting a highly experienced and competent refereeing team, given the importance of the match and the need to deal with crucial refereeing decisions under great public and media pressure.
Shahinda Al-Maghribi was born in December 1989. She began her sports career as a football player before moving into refereeing. She then obtained the international badge and became part of the FIFA referees list since 2017.
Her appearance in the final of the continental championship was not surprising, as she has accumulated experience in African championships. The Moroccan had previously participated in the 2022 and 2024 editions of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, before getting the opportunity to manage the final match in the 2026 edition. She also managed the third and fourth place matches in the previous two editions.
Her experience also extends to the African Women’s Champions League, where she has participated in editions of the tournament since its inception, in addition to her participation in international competitions affiliated with FIFA, including the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia.
Al-Maghrabi also made an important precedent in Egyptian football, after she became the first female referee to officiate an official match in the Egyptian Premier League for men, in the Smouha vs. Pharco match in 2022, in a move that was considered a prominent milestone in the history of Egyptian women's refereeing.
In June 2026, the Egyptian Football Association selected Shahinda Al-Maghrabi as one of the elite referees participating in the preparations for the Women's Africa Cup of Nations, noting that her selection came in light of the performance she had delivered during her refereeing career.
