Palestinian female referee prepares for FIFA Women’s World Cup

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian international soccer referee Heba Saadia has begun preparations to participate in the Women's World Cup, which will be held in Australia and New Zealand this summer, after having been officially selected by the International Federation of Football Association (FIFA) to officiate the matches.

Saadia is the first Palestinian and Arab referee to participate in this tournament, marking another achievement in her career, as she was previously selected as part of the referee team for the 2022 AFC Cup matches in Vietnam, in addition to refereeing many local, continental and international women's soccer matches, such as the Women's Asian Cup matches held in India last February.