With the quarter-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations fast approaching, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has released the list of officials for the four decisive matches. While these choices have sparked heated debates on social media, they are nonetheless based on a precise technical rationale.

The program and the designated officials

The hostilities begin this Friday, January 9, 2026, with two highly anticipated clashes:

1. Senegal 🇸🇳 vs Mali 🇲🇱 (4:00 PM UTC): Referee: Mustapha Ghorbal of Algeria.
2. Morocco 🇲🇦 vs Cameroon 🇨🇲 (7:00 PM UTC): Under the direction of Egyptian Amin Omar .

The competition will continue on Saturday, January 10, 2026 :

1. Nigeria 🇳🇬 vs Algeria 🇩🇿 (4:00 PM UTC): Referee: Somali Abdelkader Artan .
2. Egypt 🇪🇬 vs Ivory Coast 🇨🇮 (7:00 PM UTC): Officiated by Moroccan Jalal Jayed .

A Maghreb "domination" that is causing a reaction

The strong presence of referees from North Africa for these crucial matches quickly sparked outrage online. Many internet users see it as a risk of biased officiating in favor of Maghreb nations.

The technical explanation: Heading towards the 2026 World Cup

Contacted by 7info , a former Ivorian international referee downplayed these accusations of favoritism. According to him, two major criteria explain these choices:

1. Preparing for the 2026 World Cup: CAF is favoring referees with "World Cup experience." Referees like Ghorbal and Jayed are in contention for the next World Cup and need high-intensity matches.
2. Avoiding conflicts of interest: Referees are chosen based on the final draw. For example, Jalal Jayed (Moroccan) can referee Egypt-Ivory Coast because the winner of that match cannot face Morocco in the semi-finals.

"This is not a question of conspiracy, but of performance and strategy linked to the FIFA calendar," the expert concluded.