As the attention turns to the Final of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has confirmed Korea Republic’s Kim Yu-Jeong to lead the cast of match officials overseeing the ultimate showdown at Stadium Australia. A FIFA International Referee since 2018, Kim has steadily built an impressive portfolio and established herself as one of Asia’s most recognised and reliable officials. With the Continental contest taking place Down Under, the tournament also marks a return to familiar ground for the 36-year-old, who made her FIFA Women’s World Cup debut at the 2023 edition co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. A former player who represented the young Taeguk Ladies in the AFC U17 Women’s Cup, the Final will mark Kim’s third assignment at Australia 2026, having previously officiated Vietnam’s Group C matches against Chinese Taipei and Japan. With a career marked by landmark achievements, including being appointed as the Fourth Official in the Final of the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2025, which saw the first-ever appearance of female officials in the competition’s history, as well as appointments as referee in the AFC Champions League Two 2025/26 and the Olympic Football Tournament Paris 2024, the accomplished official will be supported by an equally capable team. Serving as Assistant Referee will be Palestine’s Heba Saadieh, who created history in 2023 as the first Palestinian woman to have officiated at a FIFA Women’s World Cup, and has since featured in multiple prestigious competitions, including the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2025 and the inaugural AFC Women’s Champions League last year. Joining her will be Thailand’s Supawan Hinthong as Assistant Referee, who earned an appointment at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2024, while the role of Fourth Official will be undertaken by Korea Republic’s Oh Hyeong-Jeong, who was also among the officials who made their FIFA Women’s World Cup debut at Australia & New Zealand 2023. Meanwhile, Video Assistant Referee duties will be handled by Sivakorn Pu-Udom of Thailand, assisted by Hong Kong’s Law Bik Chi, both established members of the AFC’s officiating roster, while Korea Republic’s Park Mi-Suk will serve as Reserve Assistant Referee. (
Source: AFC)
21 March 2026
Australia – JapanReferee: Kim Yu-Jeong KOR
Assistant Referee 1: Heba Saadieh PLE
Assistant Referee 2: Hinthong Supawan THA
Fourth Official: Oh Hyeon-Jeong KOR
Reserve AR: Park Mi-Suk KOR
VAR: Sivakorn Pu-Udom THA
AVAR: Law Bik Chi HKG
Referee Assessor: Niu Huijun CHN
