Algerian international referee Mustapha Ghorbal has been nominated for the World’s Best Football Men Referee, presented annually by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) since 1987.
Aged 40, Ghorbal has been an international referee since 2014. The native of Oran officiated in several major competitions this year, including the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States last summer, 2026 World Cup qualifying matches, and CAF interclub competitions.
Ghorbal is among the referees selected by FIFA to officiate at the upcoming 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. He is also set to take part in the next Africa Cup of Nations, scheduled from December 21, 2025, to February 18, 2026.
In addition to Ghorbal, the list of nominees for the 2025 World’s Best Referee Award includes 24 other candidates from five continents, among them Germany’s Felix Zwayer, Poland’s Szymon Marciniak, Brazil’s Wilton Sampaio, and Mauritania’s Dahane Beida.
The winner of this prestigious award will be announced on December 10, according to the IFFHS.
