With just nine days to go before the inaugural FIFA Series kicks off, four Rwandan referees have been selected to officiate matches in Rwanda from March 26 to 31, 2026.
The referees include Aline Umutoni and Uwikunda Samuel as center referees, and Didier Ishimwe and Mutuyimana Dieudonné as assistant referees. They are part of a group of 18 Rwandan referees who recently received FIFA badges for the 2026 calendar.
Rwanda is among 11 countries chosen to host the first-ever FIFA Series, featuring 48 teams divided into 12 groups. The country is the only host to stage two men’s groups, welcoming seven teams split into Pool A and Pool B.
Group A—Rwanda, Kenya, Estonia, and Grenada—will play at Amahoro Stadium, while Group B—Tanzania, Aruba, Macau, and Liechtenstein—will compete at Kigali Pelé Stadium.
The tournament aims to provide teams from different football confederations with high-level friendly matches, giving players a platform to showcase their talent internationally.
Introduced by FIFA under Gianni Infantino, the FIFA Series was first approved in December 2022 and launched in a pilot phase in March 2024 to connect teams from regions that rarely compete against each other.
