Three Indian match officials have been added to the FIFA International Referees’ List for 2026, including a woman referee, taking the country’s overall representation on the global panel to 19, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) said on Wednesday.
Rachana Hasmukhbhai Kamani of Gujarat has been inducted into the FIFA list of women referees, while Ashwin Kumar from Puducherry and Aditya Purkayastha of Delhi have been named among the men’s referees.
The inclusion marks another step forward for Indian officiating on the international football stage.
According to the AIFF, Ashwin Kumar and Aditya Purkayastha have successfully completed the AFC Referee Academy programme in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Kamani is currently undergoing the same training programme, which is considered a key pathway for elite referees in Asia.
In addition to the new referees, two Indians — Muralitharan Pandurangan of Puducherry and Peter Christopher of Maharashtra — have been inducted into the FIFA list as assistant referees, further strengthening India’s presence among international match officials.
For 2026, India will have eight referees, ten assistant referees and one futsal referee on the FIFA International List.
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The referees include Venkatesh R, Harish Kundu, Senthil Nathan Sekaran, Crystal John, Ashwin Kumar, Aditya Purkayastha, Ranjita Devi Tekcham and Rachana Kamani.
Assistant referees from India on the list include Vairamuthu Parasuraman, Sumanta Dutta, Arun Sasidharan Pillai, Ujjal Halder, Muralitharan Pandurangan, Dipesh Manohar Sawant, Sourav Sarkar, Peter Christopher, Riiohlang Dhar and Elangbam Debala Devi. Vishal Mahendrabhai Vaja has been named as India’s futsal referee.
The AIFF said the expanded representation reflects the steady progress made by Indian referees through structured training and international exposure under the AFC and FIFA development frameworks.
