Nigerian female referee Yemisi Akintoye has been officially selected by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to officiate at the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), scheduled to take place in Morocco from July 5 to 26, 2025146. This appointment marks a significant milestone for Nigerian refereeing, as Akintoye is among an elite group of 18 referees chosen to oversee Africa’s premier women’s football tournament.

Akintoye, a member of the Lagos State Football Referees Council, is a FIFA-certified referee since 2021 and has earned recognition for her consistency, discipline, and technical proficiency148. Her selection followed a rigorous CAF preparatory course held in Cairo earlier in June 2025, which involved intensive technical assessments, physical fitness tests, and decision-making evaluations designed to simulate match conditions. She excelled in these evaluations, securing her place on the officiating team for WAFCON.

Her inclusion breaks a recent period of Nigerian referees’ absence from major CAF and FIFA tournaments, rekindling optimism within the Nigerian football community about the country’s potential to regain prominence in international officiating circles. Akintoye has previously officiated at important regional competitions such as the CAF Women’s Champions League and the WAFU Women’s Champions League, demonstrating her growing experience on the continental stage.

The 2025 WAFCON will feature Africa’s top women’s national teams, including Nigeria’s Super Falcons, who are drawn in Group B alongside Tunisia, Botswana, and Algeria. Akintoye’s participation not only highlights her personal achievement but also underscores Nigeria’s role as a producer of top-class referees in African women’s football.

Football stakeholders and fans have praised her dedication and professionalism, viewing her appointment as a positive step toward enhancing Nigeria’s visibility and influence in the development of elite female referees across Africa.