Yoshimi Yamashita will make history as the first woman to referee at the men's Asian Cup when she officiates the match between Australia and India, according to the Asian Football Confederation. Yamashita, who served as the fourth official during the 2022 men's World Cup, is among the five female match officials selected for the Asian Cup in Qatar.
Yamashita has been appointed to referee the Group B opener on Saturday, while Makoto Bozono and Naomi Teshirogi have been designated as assistant referees.
In 2022, an all-female refereeing team from Japan accomplished a historic feat by officiating a game in the Asian Champions League. The following year, they went further and achieved another milestone by officiating in Japan's domestic J-League.
