The football world awaits the official announcement from FIFA regarding the final list of referees who will officiate the 2026 World Cup finals. The tournament, starting in June, will be held in three countries: Canada, Mexico, and the United States, with 48 participating teams. Omar Al Ali, an Emirati referee, is currently on the expanded list of candidates to officiate World Cup matches. He has participated in all tests organized by FIFA for prospective referees. FIFA is also preparing to announce the names of the referees who will oversee the world's biggest football event after completing all necessary qualification tests. Recently, Omer Al Ali participated in a FIFA workshop in Doha for the shortlist of Asian continent referees. Along with Omar Al Ali, the list of Asian candidates includes referees from Qatar, Oman, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Jordan, China, and Uzbekistan. If selected for the final World Cup referee list, Omar Al Ali will become the third Emirati field referee to appear at a World Cup, following Ali Bujsim and Mohamed Abdullah Hassan. Former assistant referee Ahmed Al Shamsi described his colleague, Omar Al Ali, as an ambitious referee with a strong personality, excellent physical fitness, and a thorough knowledge of the laws of the game. He emphasized that Al Ali's potential as a distinguished referee qualifies him to be among the World Cup elite, expressing his hope to see him at the tournament. Al Shamsi stressed that it is everyone's duty to support Omar Al Ali in his journey to represent Emirati refereeing. "I started with Omar at the beginning of his refereeing career," Al Shamsi said. "He is a distinguished referee and was always considered a future project in refereeing. He progressed through the ranks until he received his international badge." Al Shamsi added, "Omar Al Ali needs everyone's support for his future journey, starting from the football federation and including athletes and the media." He pointed out that Al Ali's exceptional refereeing level in recent time and his refereeing capabilities are the reasons for his selection to the expanded list for the upcoming World Cup. Ahmed Al Shamsi confirmed his strong support for Omar Al Ali during the next phase of his refereeing career.
