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Mahmoud Ashour

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Mahmoud Ashour
Full name Mahmoud Mohamed Ashour Hassan
Born (1976-11-10) November 10, 1976 (age 49)
Cairo, Egypt
Domestic
Years League Role
2008–2024 Egyptian Premier League Referee
International
Years League Role
2010/2011– FIFA listed Video assistant referee

Mahmoud Mohamed Ashour Hassan (Arabic: محمود محمد عاشور حسن; born 10 November 1976) is an Egyptian association football referee. He has worked internationally as a video assistant referee (VAR), including at the 2020 Summer Olympics, the 2024 Summer Olympics, the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, and the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Career

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Ashour made his debut as a referee in the Egyptian Premier League in 2008.[1] He was placed on the FIFA International Referees List in the early 2010s — 2010 according to the Egyptian Football Association's referee database,[2] and 2011 according to an Al-Masry Al-Youm profile[3] — and later specialised in VAR duties, officiating in the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup from 2013.[3] By 2021 he had officiated more than 150 domestic matches in the Egyptian Premier League and Egypt Cup, with limited continental experience at that point beyond a handful of Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.[1]

FIFA selected Ashour as a video assistant referee for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo[1][4] and the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.[4][5] At the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations he served as VAR in ten matches, including the final.[6][3]

Ashour was part of Egypt's officiating delegation at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and served as the video assistant referee for the South Korea v Czech Republic match on 12 June 2026, one of the tournament's opening-day fixtures.[7] The all-Egyptian team for that match — head referee, two assistant referees and a VAR official — made Egypt the first country to send a complete refereeing crew to a single FIFA World Cup match.[7][8][9]

Ashour received further appointments as the tournament progressed, appearing as VAR or assistant VAR in five more group matches — Austria v Jordan,[10] Brazil v Haiti,[11] Argentina v Austria,[12] the United States v Turkey,[13] and Portugal v Colombia[14] — and then in the round-of-32 tie between Mexico and Ecuador, which Egyptian media described as the first involvement of an Egyptian match official in the tournament's knockout stage.[15]

At the tournament's quarter-final between Spain and Belgium on 9 July 2026, Ashour made his eighth appearance as a video match official – a tournament record for the most VAR appearances by a single official at the 2026 edition.[16]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 Ismail, Ali (25 April 2021). "Egyptian referee Mahmoud Ashour selected by FIFA for Tokyo Olympics". KingFut. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
  2. ↑ "محمود عاشور" [Mahmoud Ashour]. Egyptian Football Association (in Arabic). Retrieved 17 July 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 El-Helais, Mohamed (12 February 2024). "محمود عاشور .. «ملك الفار»" [Mahmoud Ashour ... "King of VAR"]. Al-Masry Al-Youm (in Arabic). Retrieved 17 July 2026.
  4. 1 2 "Mahmoud Ashour". Olympedia. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
  5. ↑ "Egyptian Referee Mahmoud Ashour Chosen to Officiate at Paris Olympics". CairoScene. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
  6. ↑ "Egyptian referee Mahmoud Ashour appointed for AFCON final". KingFut. 10 February 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
  7. 1 2 "Egyptian referees make World Cup history with four officials in opening-day match". Ahram Online. 12 June 2026. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
  8. ↑ "From Al-Ahly's cauldron to the World Cup committee… 48 dramatic hours for video referees in Egypt and Saudi Arabia". Goal.com. 9 April 2026. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
  9. ↑ Onyach, Francis (9 June 2026). "Egypt's Amin Omar Set to Make African Refereeing History at 2026 World Cup". Dawan Africa. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
  10. ↑ "المصري محمود عاشور حكما لتقنية الفيديو في مواجهة النمسا والأردن بكأس العالم" [Egypt's Mahmoud Ashour as VAR in the Austria–Jordan World Cup match]. Al-Qahera News (in Arabic). 15 June 2026. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
  11. ↑ "الظهور الثالث.. محمود عاشور حكمًا للفيديو في مباراة البرازيل وهايتي بالمونديال" [Third appearance: Mahmoud Ashour as VAR in the Brazil–Haiti World Cup match]. Al-Ahram Gate (in Arabic). 18 June 2026. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
  12. ↑ Gamal, Mostafa (21 June 2026). "الظهور الرابع.. محمود عاشور حكمًا مساعدًا لتقنية الفيديو في مباراة الأرجنتين والنمسا" [Fourth appearance: Mahmoud Ashour as assistant VAR in the Argentina–Austria World Cup match]. Yalla Kora (in Arabic). Retrieved 17 July 2026.
  13. ↑ Hassan, Amr (24 June 2026). "الظهور الخامس.. محمود عاشور حكماً مساعدا لتقنية الفيديو في لقاء أمريكا وتركيا بالمونديال" [Fifth appearance: Mahmoud Ashour as assistant VAR in the United States–Turkey World Cup match]. Akhbar Elnas Elyoum (in Arabic). Retrieved 17 July 2026.
  14. ↑ El-Barbary, Hazem (26 June 2026). "محمود عاشور يسجل ظهوره السادس في كأس العالم" [Mahmoud Ashour records his sixth World Cup appearance]. Egypt Telegraph (in Arabic). Retrieved 17 July 2026.
  15. ↑ Alwan, Mohamed (29 June 2026). "محمود عاشور حكمًا مساعدًا لتقنية الفيديو في لقاء المكسيك والإكوادور بدور 32 بكأس العالم" [Mahmoud Ashour as assistant VAR in the Mexico–Ecuador round-of-32 World Cup match]. Mobtada (in Arabic). Retrieved 17 July 2026.
  16. ↑ "Octava aparición... Mahmoud Ashour, el rey del «FAR» en el Mundial 2026" [Eighth appearance... Mahmoud Ashour, the king of "VAR" at the 2026 World Cup]. Goal.com España (in Spanish). 9 July 2026. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
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