Referees assigned for Uzbekistan’s World Cup qualifiers against Kyrgyzstan and Iran

The referees for Uzbekistan’s upcoming World Cup qualifying matches against Kyrgyzstan and Iran have been announced. This was reported by the press service of the Football Association of Uzbekistan.  

The match between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan will be officiated by a Japanese refereeing team. The main referee, Yasuke Araki, will be assisted by his compatriots Yun Mihara and Kota Watanabe on the wings, with Ryo Tanimoto serving as the fourth official. VAR duties will be handled by Yumpel Lee.  

For the Uzbekistan-Iran match, an Omani refereeing team has been assigned. The main referee, Ahmed Abu Bakar Al-Kaf, will be assisted by Abu Bakar Al-Amri and Rashid Hamid Al-Haiti. The fourth official will be Qasim Matar Al-Hatmi, while Singaporean Muhammad Taqi bin Jahari will oversee VAR.  

Uzbekistan will face Kyrgyzstan on March 20 in Tashkent, followed by a match against Iran on March 25 in Tehran as part of the 2026 World Cup qualifying round.  

Earlier, the match start times for these fixtures were also announced.