AFC champions Wuhan Jiangda WFC to take on OFC counterparts Auckland United FC in Wuhan, China PR, in tournament curtain-raiser
Line-up at groundbreaking FIFA Women’s Champions Cup™ to feature all six continental club champions
Competition set to benefit women’s refereeing
The FIFA Referees Committee has announced the match officials who will oversee the Round 1 encounter in the inaugural edition of the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup™. The competition will get under way with the meeting between AFC Women’s Champions League titlists Wuhan Jiangda WFC and the winners of this year’s OFC Women’s Champions League, Auckland United FC, at the Wuhan Sports Centre Stadium in Wuhan, China PR, this coming 8 October.
The appointed match officials are as follows:
Referee: Bouchra Karboubi (Morocco)
Assistant referee 1: Diana Chikotesha (Zambia)
Assistant referee 2: Carine Atezambong (Cameroon)
Fourth official: Shamirah Nabadda (Uganda)
Video assistant referee (VAR): Hamza El Fariq (Morocco)
Assistant VAR: Fathia Jermoumi (Morocco)
“From a refereeing perspective, we see the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup as a thrilling competition that will enable us to further develop women’s refereeing worldwide, as our match officials will be able to gain key experience by taking charge of highly competitive international club games,” said FIFA Head of Women’s Refereeing Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb.
Whoever prevails in the contest between Wuhan Jiangda and Auckland United will travel to Africa in Round 2 to face the winners of the CAF Women’s Champions League, who will be determined in November. The team that triumph in that match will advance to the final phase, which is to be contested at a centralised venue.
The FIFA Women’s Champions Cup will see the six continental club champions from the full season preceding the tournament vie to lift the coveted new trophy, enhancing the competitive landscape in the women’s game and raising its international profile.