South Africa will have more representatives at the 2026 Fifa World Cup, with referee Abongile Tom and assistant referee Zakhele Siwela included in the final list of match officials for the tournament.
It will be the first time that the highly rated Tom, who did duty at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Morocco and was the fourth assistant in the final in Rabat, officiates at the global showpiece.
For Siwela, this will be his third appearance at the World Cup, having been to the tournament in 2018 in Russia and 2022 in Qatar.
There is no place on the list for Jean-Jacques Ndala of the DR Congo, who took charge of the controversial Afcon final between Senegal and Morocco, where he was criticised for his handling of the match.
Tom joins former referees Ian McLeod (1998), Jerome Damon (2010) and Victor Gomes (2022), who appeared at the World Cup.
TimesLIVE










Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.