Ugandan football referee Shamirah Nabadda has been named the 2025 CAF Women’s Referee of the Year at the 2025 CAF Awards.
The recognition comes after a time in which she handled major continental and global assignments, including the Paris 2024 Olympics, the 2024 African Nations Championship, the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup.
The award was presented during the CAF Awards ceremony held on Wednesday in Rabat, where the Ugandan official received praise for her consistent accuracy, game management and composure in high-pressure matches.
Nabadda entered international refereeing in 2018 after earning her FIFA badge, two years after her debut in the Uganda Premier League.
The official became the youngest female centre referee in the division when she took charge of KCCA against Masavu in 2016, while aged just 23. Her rise was amplified by sustained performance at continental events.
She officiated at the WAFCON tournament, the All Africa Games, the World University Games in Napoli, World Cup qualifiers and several CAF youth competitions. She also handled the 2024/25 Uganda Cup final between Vipers and KCCA.
Her international profile expanded further when she became the first Ugandan woman to officiate at the Olympic Games after being selected for the Paris 2024 edition. She served as a fourth official for the men’s match between Argentina and Iraq.
At the 2024 WAFCON, held in July this year, her notable assignments included the opening match between Morocco and Zambia, as well as the semi-final between Nigeria and South Africa, where she was praised for her handling of a high-pressure match that featured two penalties.
At CHAN, jointly hosted by Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, in August, she refereed Madagascar against Mauritania, where she issued the first red card of the tournament, and later took charge of the bronze match between Senegal and Sudan.
Her work at the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup included matches such as South Korea against Colombia and England against Mexico.
Her award came on a night that also recognised outstanding administrative contribution from Uganda.
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni received the CAF President’s Outstanding Achievement Award for his role in hosting what CAF described as the most successful CHAN tournament ever staged, alongside Kenya and Tanzania.
The CAF Awards also announced winners in various categories across men’s and women’s football.
Notably, Achraf Hakimi scooped the African Player of the Year accolade, as fellow Moroccan Ghizlaine Chebbak rook home the women’s accolade.
