Kenya is set to be represented at the first-ever 32-team Club World Cup in the USA after referee Stephen Yiembe earned a coveted spot among the match officials.
Yiembe, who continues his steady ascent up the ranks of match officials, is the only referee in the East Africa region to make the cut.
The referee is among 117 other match officials who will take charge of matches at the Club World Cup, set to take place between June 14 and July 13, 2025. Yiembe will be one of the many linesmen officiating at the tournament that features global stars like Erling Haaland from Manchester City and Kylian Mbappe from Real Madrid, both of whom will participate in the event.
Notably, this will be Yiembe's third major tournament since making his debut at a major tournament at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. His other major competition was at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Yiembe also previously officiated the AFCON U23 final between Morocco and Egypt in July 2023.
According to FIFA, the selection of the match officials followed a rigorous preparation process, which included global seminars and technical training sessions to ensure that only the best match officials were selected for the groundbreaking tournament.
Yiembe will be part of an elite group of 117 match officials, which will include 35 referees, 58 assistant referees, and 24 video match officials from 41 member associations.
Speaking on the appointment of Yiembe and other officials, the chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, Pierluigi Collina, said the match officials were somewhat lucky to be taking part in the new-look FIFA Club World Cup.
“As every new competition starts, the selected referees are among those who have the privilege to be part of this for the first time,” he said, adding, “We are coming from high-standard performances delivered during the last FIFA tournaments. So the bar is higher… But we are working very hard, and Team One will make a solid contribution to the success of this exciting competition."
At the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, 32 of the world's top clubs will compete for the prestigious title of Club World Champions.
The teams, picked across six confederations, will play matches across 12 stadiums in 11 host cities in the United States.
