From Kigali To Eswatini: Ashiraf Magoola Earns Back-to-Back CAF Appointments

Rising Fast: Ashiraf Magoola Handed Second CAF Assignment in One Month

Ugandan assistant referee Ashiraf Magoola has received another major continental appointment, just weeks after being appointed for a CAF Confederations Match , as CAF continues to entrust him with high-level assignments.

Magoola has been appointed Assistant Referee 2 for the TotalEnergies CAF U-23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between Eswatini and Malawi, scheduled for 6 October 2026 at the Somhlolo National Stadium in Lobamba, Eswatini.

According to CAF, the match will kick off at 15:00 GMT (13:00 local time). The fixture will be the second leg of the preliminary-round tie, with Eswatini hosting Malawi after the first leg in Lilongwe on 29 September. The winner over the two legs will advance to face Algeria in the next round.

Magoola will be part of an all-Ugandan officiating team for the assignment. DICK OKELLO has been appointed REFEREE, while BRIANSON MUSISI will serve as Assistant Referee 1 and GEORGE OLEMU as the Fourth Official.

CAF has also appointed Olson Keammona Mantle of Botswana as the match commissioner, while Bamlak Tessema Weyesa of Ethiopia will serve as the referee assessor.

The appointment is particularly significant for Magoola because it comes only about a month after a CAF Confederations Cup match in Rwanda

On 4 September 2026, he served as Assistant Referee 2 in the CAF Confederation Cup encounter between Hilal Alsahi of Sudan and Welwalo Adigrat University SC of Ethiopia, played at Kigali-Pele Stadium in Rwanda. That assignment marked his first international game at CAF level.

His latest appointment therefore represents a quick return to continental duty and another opportunity to gain valuable experience on the African stage.

A JOURNEY THAT BEGAN IN 2016.

Magoola’s progress to this level has been built over several years. He qualified as a referee in 2016, beginning his journey from Uganda’s Eastern Region. Over the years, he worked his way through the domestic refereeing system before reaching the country’s top level.

A major milestone came in 2025, when Magoola earned his FIFA badge, becoming an internationally recognised assistant referee. He is now in his second consecutive year on the FIFA International Referees List, having retained his place for 2026.

His domestic profile has also continued to grow. In 2026, Magoola was appointed as an Assistant Referee for the Stanbic Uganda Cup final between Kitara FC and SC Villa at the FUFA Technical Centre in Njeru, another high-profile assignment that added to his experience in Ugandan football.

Now, his focus turns back to the continental stage. The Eswatini-Malawi assignment gives Magoola another chance to operate in a competitive CAF environment, this time in a crucial U-23 AFCON qualifier. The two nations are competing for progression in the qualification pathway towards the 2027 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, which will also serve as part of the qualification route for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

For Magoola, the appointment represents another important milestone in a refereeing journey that began in 2016 in the Eastern Region, progressed to the FIFA list in 2025, and has now moved into regular CAF assignments. From his first CAF assignment in Ethiopia last year to another continental appointment barely a month later, Ashiraf Magoola is quickly establishing himself on the African refereeing scene.

Significance: Magoola’s second CAF international appointment, following his debut in the CAF Confederation Cup in Kigali on 4 September 2026.