Samoa’s Maria Salamasina will be working alongside referees Anna-Marie Keighley of New Zealand will be joined by fellow Kiwi Sarah Jones at the Oceania region for the match at Dunedin Stadium in New Zealand.
Salamasina will be an assistant referee. Salamasina has been a long-standing member of the OFC officiating team and is making her second World Cup appearance, having been selected for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France. She also joined Keighley and Jones as part of OFC’s officiating team at the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
OFC Head of Referees Kevin Stoltenkamp is excited about talent growth in women officiating across the Oceania region.
“Everybody has been talking about the impact of the World Cup on girls and women playing football, but there’s also a significant impact for match officials in the Pacific.
“With the success of the OFC Women’s Champions League in Papua New Guinea and the OFC U-19 Women’s Championship in Fiji this year, we’re starting to see the talent not just on the field but also with our women officials across the region. We hope seeing these officials on the world stage will encourage others to get involved across Oceania,” he said.
“It’s also just a reward for Anna-Marie, Sarah and Maria for their hard work and commitment over the last eight years to ensure they are on par with their fellow officials from confederations worldwide.”
With Argentina and South Africa losing their opening Group G matches to Italy and Sweden, respectively, Friday’s match will be vital for both sides’ hopes of advancing to the Round of 16.
