Lausanne, Switzerland, January 8, 2023: Heba Saadieh will make history as the first Palestinian female referee to officiate at a FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Palestinian Saadieh is all set to take part at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to August 20, 2023, Palestinian News and Information Agency reported last week.
World governing body FIFA has selected Saadieh as the first Palestinian referee to participate in a FIFA Women’s World Cup. The ninth edition is the first to be hosted by two countries and the first to feature 32 teams.
Saadieh, 34, was born in Palestine and is a former Palestinian football player turned referee. She moved to Stockholm, Sweden when she was 26 and pursued her career as a licensed FIFA referee in Europe.
She has officiated in the Swedish men’s and women’s football leagues, in addition to many AFC Cups and both World Cup and Tokyo 2020 Olympics qualifying tournaments.
