Ugandan referee Shamirah Nabadda has etched her name into African football history after being named CAF Women’s Referee of the Year at the 2025 CAF Awards held on Wednesday in Rabat, Morocco.
It’s a proud moment for an official whose journey began in 2016, when she made her Uganda Premier League debut in a match between KCCA FC and Masavu.
From those early steps, Nabadda has steadily grown into one of Africa’s most respected referees.
Her breakthrough came in 2018 when she earned her FIFA badge, opening the door to major international assignments, from World Cup qualifiers to continental finals.
But it was the 2024 Paris Olympics that truly elevated her career.
There, she became the first Ugandan woman, and only the second Ugandan since Ali Tomusange in 2000, to officiate at the Olympic Games.
Nabadda’s outstanding year didn’t end in Paris. She also took charge of the 2024 CHAN bronze medal match between Senegal and Sudan, reinforcing her reputation for calmness, precision and command in high-pressure games.
Her growing résumé already features the 2022 WAFCON, 2023 All Africa Games, 2019 World University Games in Napoli, the Cecafa Women’s Championship, and several FUFA competitions, remarkable accomplishments for someone still in her prime.
At the same ceremony, Somalia’s Omar Abdulkadir was named Male Referee of the Year, as CAF celebrated the continent’s standout players, coaches and teams.
Other major CAF Awards 2025 winners included:
• Player of the Year (Men): Achraf Hakimi
• Player of the Year (Women): Ghizlane Chebbak
• Goalkeeper of the Year (Men): Yassine Bounou
• Goalkeeper of the Year (Women): Chiamaka Nnadozie
• Interclub Player of the Year (Men): Fiston Mayele
• Coach of the Year (Men): Bubista (Cape Verde)
• National Team of the Year (Men): Morocco U20
• National Team of the Year (Women): Nigeria
• Club of the Year (Men): Pyramids (Egypt)
