BY THEMBA ZWANE
MBABANE – Eswatini referee Letticia Viana has received another major international appointment after being named a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) Assistant for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland, scheduled for August 5-27.
The appointment, announced by the Eswatini Football Association (EFA), marks another significant milestone in the career of one of the country’s most accomplished football officials and provides a silver lining following her exclusion from the final list of officials selected for the senior 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The EFA congratulated Viana on her latest FIFA assignment, describing it as a proud moment for Eswatini football and further evidence of the growing recognition of local match officials on the international stage.
Viana has steadily built an impressive refereeing résumé over the past two decades. A FIFA-listed referee since 2015 and an accredited VAR official since 2024, she has officiated at major continental and global tournaments, including Women’s Africa Cup of Nations competitions and FIFA youth tournaments.
Her latest appointment comes just months after disappointment surrounding her omission from the final officiating panel for the expanded 48-team FIFA World Cup. Reports indicated that Viana, who had initially been linked with World Cup officiating duties and was regarded as one of the leading VAR specialists in the COSAFA region, did not make FIFA’s final cut for the tournament. The omission was widely viewed as a setback for both Eswatini and Southern African refereeing.
Despite that setback, the latest FIFA assignment reinforces Viana’s standing within world football officiating circles.
The experienced official has become a trailblazer for women in football officiating in Eswatini. She was the first woman to officiate matches in the country’s top-flight men’s league and has represented the kingdom at numerous CAF and FIFA events. Her growing expertise in video match technology has seen her increasingly deployed in VAR-related roles at elite competitions.
Earlier this year, Viana was selected as an assistant VAR official for the Africa Cup of Nations final, further enhancing her reputation as one of Africa’s most trusted video match officials.
The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup is regarded as one of the premier youth football tournaments globally and has traditionally served as a platform for the development of both emerging players and match officials. The competition will bring together the world’s best young female footballers in Poland, with Viana set to play a key role in ensuring the accuracy and integrity of officiating decisions through the VAR system.
For Eswatini football, Viana’s appointment represents more than individual achievement. It is another indication that the country is producing officials capable of competing at the highest level of the game, even as the nation continues to seek greater representation on football’s biggest stages.
While the dream of officiating at the senior FIFA World Cup may have been delayed, Viana’s latest appointment ensures that the Eswatini flag will still be represented at a FIFA global tournament this year, further cementing her status as one of the kingdom’s most successful football ambassadors.
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