FIFA has announced appointing a fourth Moroccan name among the referees selected to officiate the 2023 Women’s World Cup matches scheduled for July 20-August 23 in Australia and New Zealand.
FIFA announced the selection of Bouchra Karboubi as a main referee to join the three other referees, namely Fatiha Jermoumi and Soukaina Hamdi as assistant referees, as well as Adil Zourak, the VAR referee.
This global, most prestigious tournament for women’s soccer will see the participation for the first time of the Atlas Lionesses who qualified after finishing second in the Africa Cup of Nations, held in the summer of 2022 in Morocco.
The national female squad is currently doing training sessions at the Mohammed VI complex in Maamoura as preparation to face Germany, Colombia, and South Korea in Group H at the World Cup.
Bouchra is an experienced referee who has officiated in many national and international matches. Notably, she is the first woman to lead a match in the Botola, the top-tier men’s football championship in Morocco.
The Atlas Lionesses’ qualification followed their win against Botswana in the quarter-finals of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in 2022.
The national team will play their first World Cup match against Germany on July 24 at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium. Their second game will be against South Korea on July 30 at Hindmarsh Stadium, while the third match will be against Colombia on August 3 at the Perth Rectangular Stadium.
The Australia-New Zealand World Cup 2023’s full draw is as follows:
Group A: New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Switzerland
Group B: Australia, Ireland, Nigeria, Canada
Group C: Spain, Costa Rica, Zambia, Japan
Group D: England, playoff Group B winner, China, Denmark
Group E: US, Netherlands, Vietnam, playoff Group A winner
Group F: France, Jamaica, Brazil, playoff Group C winner
Group G: Sweden, South Africa, Italy, Argentina
Group H: Germany, Morocco, Colombia, South Korea
