Ugandan FIFA referee Shamirah Nabadda has been selected by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to officiate at the Total Energies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) 2024, scheduled to take place from July 5 to 26, 2025, in Morocco.
The prestigious tournament, Africa’s top competition for women’s national teams, will feature some of the continent’s best talent both on and off the pitch, including match officials. CAF confirmed Nabadda’s selection on Thursday, June 12, 2025, naming her among 18 centre referees chosen from across Africa.
Nabadda is one of eight referees from the CECAFA Zone selected for the tournament, although Tanzania is the only team from the region to qualify for the final competition.
“This is a great honour not just for me, but for Uganda as a whole. It’s a privilege to represent my country at this level again,” Nabadda said in a brief statement.
CAF announced a total of 18 referees, 18 assistant referees, and 10 Video Assistant Referees (VAR) from 30 countries, highlighting the continental nature of the tournament.
Nabadda has built an impressive international resume since earning her FIFA badge in 2018. She has officiated in several major competitions, including the African Women’s Championship qualifiers, the 2022 CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, the 2023 CAF Women’s Champions League in Côte d’Ivoire, and the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, where she made history as Uganda’s first female referee at the Olympics.
In 2024 and 2025, she continued to scale to greater heights, being selected to officiate at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in the Dominican Republic and the Total Energies CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
Known for her professionalism, composure, and fairness, Nabadda has officiated at the highest levels with no formal complaints filed against her, a rarity in international refereeing.
Although Uganda’s national women’s team did not qualify for the 2024 edition of WAFCON, Nabadda’s appointment ensures that the country will still be represented at the tournament.
CAF confirmed the following groupings for the tournament: Group A, which has Morocco, Zambia, Senegal, and DR Congo; Group B, which consists of Nigeria, Tunisia, Algeria, and Botswana; and lastly, Group C, which has South Africa, Ghana, Mali, and Tanzania.
Nabadda’s achievement continues to inspire a new generation of female referees in Uganda and across the region, reinforcing the importance of developing officiating talent alongside footballing talent.
