Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Dec 31: India has added five more match officials to the FIFA International List for 2026, further strengthening the country’s presence on the global football stage.
Rachana Kamani from Gujarat joins the list as a women’s referee, while Ashwin Kumar (Puducherry) and Aditya Purkayastha (Delhi) have been included as men’s referees. In addition, Muralitharan Pandurangan (Puducherry) and Peter Christopher (Maharashtra) have been inducted as assistant referees. Notably, Ashwin Kumar and Aditya Purkayastha have also completed their AFC Referee Academy course in Kuala Lumpur, with Rachana Kamani currently undergoing the same program.
With these additions, India now has 19 match officials on the FIFA list for 2026, encompassing referees, assistant referees, and a futsal referee.
The announcement comes shortly after the draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the first edition to feature 48 teams, held at the John F. Kennedy Center. The expanded tournament, hosted across Canada, Mexico, and the United States, promises a record number of matches and high-profile encounters.
Key group-stage highlights include Morocco facing Brazil in Group C, alongside Scotland and Haiti, and a challenging Group L clash between England and Croatia, which also includes Ghana and Panama. Group B may feature Italy, Canada, Qatar, and Switzerland, pending the European play-offs. The opening match will see Mexico take on South Africa, with South Korea and the winner of a Denmark-North Macedonia-Czech Republic-Ireland play-off also in Group A.
Indian Match Officials in FIFA 2026 List:
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, Elangbam Debala Devi.
Futsal Referee: Vishal Mahendrabhai Vaja.
This inclusion underscores India’s growing footprint in international football officiating and highlights the development of refereeing standards in the country ahead of the world’s biggest football spectacle.