Rwandan international referee Salma Mukansanga is among the referees selected to officiate in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup that will take place in Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to August 20. Mukansanga, 34, made history in 2022 in Qatar when she became the first African woman referee to handle a match at a men’s World Cup. She will be in New Zealand and Australia alongside three other African female referees including Vincentia Amedome from Togo, South Africa's Akhona Makalima, and Bouchra Karboubi from Morocco. Mukansanga is currently ranked among the top female referees on the continent having also been the first woman to handle a men's game at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup which is the 9th edition will bring together 32 teams which will compete for the glittering trophy. The United States will be defending the World Cup they won in 2019 in France after beating Netherlands 2-0 in the final.
