Algerian referee Mustapha Ghorbal is set to take charge of the crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match between Zimbabwe and Bafana Bafana at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Friday (18:00) — a must-win clash for the South Africans.
Ghorbal was spotted conducting a light training session with his officiating team on Thursday evening, shortly after both Zimbabwe and Bafana Bafana concluded their final training sessions ahead of the decisive encounter.
The 40-year-old is one of Africa’s most respected referees, having officiated several high-profile matches on the continent, including two CAF Champions League finals.
His first Champions League final came in the 2019/20 season, when Al Ahly, then coached by South African legend Pitso Mosimane, defeated Zamalek.
He also officiated the 2023/24 final, where Al Ahly overcame Esperance, coached by Miguel Cardoso, to lift the title once again.
Ghorbal has also been in charge of two CAF Super Cup finals — the first in 2020/21, when Mosimane’s Al Ahly beat RS Berkane, and another in 2022/23, when RS Berkane turned the tables by defeating Wydad Casablanca.
At the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations held in the Ivory Coast earlier last year, Ghorbal officiated two key matches: Nigeria’s group-stage win over the Ivory Coast and DR Congo’s quarter-final victory against Guinea.
He has previously refereed a match involving Bafana Bafana, and that was a loss to the Ivory Coast in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in the group stages.
Meanwhile, Bafana Bafana head into Friday’s encounter under immense pressure — not only to deliver a strong performance but to secure maximum points to keep their World Cup qualification hopes alive, in the tournament that will be jointly hosted by Canada, the USA, and Mexico next year.
Hugo Broos’s men currently sit second in Group C with 14 points from eight matches, trailing Benin, who top the group. Bafana were recently docked three points for fielding an ineligible player, Teboho Mokoena, during their March qualifier against Lesotho.
FIFA subsequently awarded that match 3-0 in favour of Lesotho, dropping Bafana from first to second place in the group standings.
In the African qualifiers, only the group winners automatically book a spot at the World Cup, while the four best runners-up will advance to a play-off round for a final chance to qualify.
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