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Palestinian female referee prepares for FIFA Women’s World Cup

Heba Saadia has been selected as the Palestine's first referee to officiate the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 matches.

Palestinian female soccer players are seen before a qualifying match against Thailand for the Asian Women Football Cup, al-Ram, West Bank, April 3, 2017.
Palestinian female soccer players are seen before a qualifying match against Thailand for the Asian Women Football Cup, al-Ram, West Bank, April 3, 2017. — Abbas Momani/AFP via Getty Images

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.

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