In a historic announcement, Japanese Yoshimi Yamashita made history by becoming the first woman to officiate a match in the prestigious AFC Asian Cup. Yamashita officiated the Australia vs India game which took place on January 13, 2024.
She was supported at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium by assistant referees Makoto Bozono and Naomi Teshirogi. They are an iconic Japanese trio who made history as the first women officials to oversee matches in the AFC Cup™ (2019), AFC Champions League™ (2022) and J1 League (2023).
Yamashita is one of the five women officials in the prestigious tournament.
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Yoshimi Yamashita, the first professional woman referee from Japan, earned her FIFA badge in 2015. She shattered became the first woman to officiate a J1 League match in September 2022. Further solidifying her legacy, Yamashita was among the six women match officials appointed for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
Yamashita’s first endeavour saw 2015 AFC Asian Cup Champions Australia defeating India 2-0.
The full list of AFC match officials appointed to the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2024™ can be accessed HERE.
