The Asian Football Confederation announced today, Thursday, that Japanese referee Yoshimi Yamashita will become the first woman to officiate a match at the men's Asian Cup this Saturday. She will be in charge of the match between former champion Australia and India in Group B. Yamashita will be assisted by assistant referees Makoto Bozuno and Naomi Teshirogi, making them the first all-female officiating team to oversee a match at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium.
The trio has previously collaborated in officiating club matches during the 2019 AFC Cup, the 2022 AFC Champions League, and matches in the Japanese league last year. Yamashita, who is Japan’s first professional female referee, arrived in Doha with experience from officiating at two editions of the Women's World Cup and was part of the officiating team at the 2022 World Cup.
The 37-year-old is among five female referees officiating matches at the men's Asian Cup, which will take place from January 12 to February 10.
