Kuwaiti referee to officiate Vietnam-U23 South Korea Asian Cup third-place match
VOV.VN - The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced the referee team for the third-place playoff at the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 between U23 Vietnam and U23 South Korea.
The match will kick off at 10 p.m. on January 23 at King Abdullah Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The referee in charge will be Abdullah Al Jamali of Kuwait. The 34-year-old official has been a FIFA-listed referee since 2019, when he earned the badge at the age of 28. He has officiated at a number of major competitions, including Asian qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup, the AFC Asian Cup and the AFC Champions League.
Al Jamali is widely regarded as one of Kuwait’s leading referees and among the more experienced officials in Asian football.
He will be assisted by two assistant referees, Ali Jraq and Nasser Salim Abdullah Ambusaidi, both of whom have extensive experience at continental tournaments.
The fourth official will be Alexander George King of Australia, a familiar name to Vietnamese fans after he took charge of the semi-final between U23 Vietnam and U23 China earlier in the tournament.
VAR duties have been assigned to Obaid Khadim Mohammed of the United Arab Emirates, with Sivakorn Pu-Udom of Thailand serving as assistant VAR.
The appointment of an experienced and multinational officiating team underlines the AFC’s preparations for the third-place match at the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026.
Australian referee to officiate U23 Vietnam–U23 China AFC U23 Asian Cup semifinal
VOV.VN - The Asian Football Confederation has appointed Australian referee Alexander King to officiate the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 semifinal between U23 Vietnam and U23 China.
