Somali international referee, Omar Abdulkadir Artan, has been selected as one of the 18 official referees to officiate at the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup, to be held in Chile.
Artan, who also refereed the 2024/2025 CAF Champions League final, is one of six African referees selected. Gilbert Cheruiyot from Kenya has also been selected as an assistant referee.
The FIFA Referees Committee has announced the official list of 18 referees, 36 assistant referees and the Football Video Support (FVS) unit that will be used for the tournament, which will take place from September 27 to October 19, 2025.
Referee Artan, who was added to the FIFA list of international referees in 2018, has quickly moved from domestic to international levels.
He previously refereed the 2024 AFCON tournament, becoming the first Somali referee to officiate at the Africa Cup of Nations.
