With just minutes left on the clock, two teams that have dedicated every moment for a chance at the World Cup, tensions and aggression running high, the referee has one job – keep things going smoothly. With Round of 32 matches starting after group stage matches have wrapped up, FIFA 2026 has already given fans plenty of iconic moments. One among them was the match between Czechia and South Africa, refereed by an all-women team (for the second time in FIFA history). For Harsha Saini, one of Karnataka’s first national-level referees, the moment was an inspiring one. “It made me feel so motivated to see how well they handled the game. Especially in a male-dominated field, with 22 players and a huge crowd, whatever decision you make, half the stadium will be happy and the other half will be disappointed, and they will react in the same way. The pressure is intense, but having been in similar situations at a much smaller level, it also gives you courage.”
Among the handful of national-level women referees from Bengaluru, Harsha as well as Neha M (29), another AIFF National Referee, started off their careers as footballers playing at the collegiate, club and state levels. Refereeing came as a suggestion from their coaches and became something they fell in love with. “I like being a leader and when I became a referee, it gave me the feeling that the field is mine,” shares Neha, adding, “I also had a meniscus injury so this was a way for me to stay connected with football.”
While they were already used to the fitness expectations of being players, refereeing brought specialised training and challenges, requiring yearly exams of fitness and theory to keep advancing in the eight-level qualification system. “Our drills are based on game requirements – sometimes, you have to just stand and watch, sometimes jog, sometimes sprint towards an incident. So, we prepare ourselves for flexibility and mobility to move from one place to the other – running sideways, backwards and sprinting,” shares Saini (27). To qualify as a referee for different levels of the sport – women’s games, men’s games and for FIFA, the running speeds and other fitness qualifications, vary.
Despite the positive attention on FIFA’s women referees, though, among the 170 officials for the World Cup: 52 centre referees, 88 assistant referees and 30 video assistant referee (VAR) officials, only six are women. In Karnataka too, women’s participation in refereeing is low, notes Neha, attributing it to a lack of awareness. “Until I started training, I did not know that it was possible to be a woman referee,” she says, adding, “We need more investment, mentoring and training but for that to happen, more women need to come out and express their interest.” Neha recently became a mom but is not letting it keep her from the field, planning to get back within a year. Saini agrees but also points out that opportunities are abundant in Bengaluru. “I must have stayed home for just 10 days last year, there are always girls’ and boys’ matches as well as corporate matches happening in the city.”
While fans at home have their eyes on the ball and the players, Saini has half her attention on the ref, constantly noticing and learning – after all, every referee’s dream is the FIFA world cup and so is hers. “In every situation, I try and take the decision before they can and then, analyse the calls, how they are reacting, and running,” she says. “I’ve experienced this at a tiny level but I imagine myself experiencing this on a big stage, hopefully someday I end up there,” she concludes with a smile.” While Indian women have qualified to be FIFA referees in previous editions of the world cup, none has done so from Karnataka… yet.