As the main VAR, the 33-year-old Tabuk native has appeared in the last three consecutive editions of the AFC Champions League Elite™ as well as the inaugural AFC Women’s Champions League 2024/25™  last year.

 

Appointed to the most recent two editions of the AFC U23 Asian Cup™, Al-Shehri will make his debut at the FIFA World Cup 2026 off the back of his appearance at the FIFA Arab Cup in 2025.

With his appointment as a Video Match Official (VMO) at the FIFA World Cup 2026, Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Al-Shehri is set to make history as the first-ever graduate of the AFC Referee Academy to officiate at a FIFA World Cup.

Earning his place in the Elite Panel of AFC Referees in 2024 after starting his officiating journey in 2013, Al-Shehri has been a FIFA VMO since 2022 and amassed extensive experience in the recent past on the regional as well as continental stage.