Rwanda referee Salima Mukansanga, a well-known football referee, has stepped down after an impressive 12-year career.

In an interview on October 22, 2024, she explained that the decision to retire was her own.

Mukansanga an international football referee from Rwanda who is a listed international referee for FIFA since 2012 originally began in basketball before transitioning to football, where she made her mark and made history.

Achievement and History

Salima has officiated at the Olympics, FIFA Women's World Cup, Africa Women Cup of Nations and CAF Women's Champions League. 

In 2022 she was one of three women referees selected to officiate at the FIFA World Cup to be hosted in Qatar, making her among the first women to officiate at the Men's World Cup and the first female African to officiate at the men's top football event on 22 November 2022

She was the fourth official when France, the defending champions, defeated Australia 4–1. 

In 2022, Mukansanga also became the first woman to referee at the African Cup of Nations, leading out an all-woman officiating team of Fatiha Jermoumi (Morocco), Carine Atemzabong (Cameroon), and Bouchra Karboubi (Morocco) as the VAR.  Mukansanga became . 

She was recognized as one of the BBC 100 Women in December 2022.

On 9 January 2023, FIFA appointed her to the officiating pool for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand..