The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has named Moroccan referee Jayed Jalal to officiate Rwanda’s World Cup 2026 qualifier against Nigeria at Amahoro Stadium in Kigali on Friday, March 21
Jalal will travel to Kigali with countrymen Mostapha Akarkad and Hamza Nassiri who will serve as first and second assistant referees respectively.
Jalal, 37, is one of the top referees from North Africa and has been very prominent in both CAF club and international football matches.
He is well known for ensuring sanity in the game. The last two continental games he has handled saw him flashing a whopping 13 yellow cards.
The astute referee was in charge of Angola’s 2-1 victory against Sudan in an AFCON 2025 qualifier on September 9, 2024 where he issued 8 yellow cards. He also officiated Namibia’s 0-0 draw with Cameroon on November 13, 2024 where he gave out 5 yellow cards.
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His last encounter involving any of the two teams was on March 22, 2024 when he handled an international friendly match between Nigeria and Ghana in Morocco. The Super Eagles won the encounter 2-1.
While the Super Eagles occupy fifth position in Group C with three points from four games, Rwanda sit top of Group B with seven points.