FIFA referee Le Thi Ly officiates women’s football at the 20th Asian Games

From the opening matches of the group stage, Le Thi Ly was appointed by the tournament Organising Committee to officiate. The Vietnamese referee took charge of the match between the Philippines and Uzbekistan before being assigned to officiate the Bangladesh vs Korea Republic match.

Being selected to officiate at the Asian Games provides Le Thi Ly with an opportunity to further gain international experience, while also contributing to the presence of Vietnamese referees among the officiating teams at major continental competitions.

Following her two group-stage appointments at the 20th Asian Games, Le Thi Ly is expected to continue officiating matches in the quarter-finals.

This is not Le Thi Ly’s first appearance at the Asian Games. The Vietnamese FIFA referee previously officiated at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, in 2023. Throughout her international career, Le Thi Ly has also officiated at a number of AFC and FIFA competitions, particularly major women’s football tournaments at continental level.

In 2026 alone, Le Thi Ly has been appointed to officiate at a number of major international competitions. She was part of the officiating team at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 in Australia, followed by the AFC Women’s Champions League 2025/26 in Korea Republic. After the 20th Asian Games, Le Thi Ly is expected to officiate at the AFC Women’s U17 Asian Cup Qualifiers – Group E.

In addition, Le Thi Ly has also been entrusted by the AFC with officiating at men’s football competitions. In 2025, the Vietnamese FIFA referee was appointed for the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers in Indonesia, held from 1 to 10 September 2025, as well as the AFC Challenge League 2025/26. Her appointments across both men’s and women’s competitions reflect the breadth of her international experience and the AFC’s recognition of her refereeing expertise.

Notably, despite being a female referee, Le Thi Ly has also been selected by the AFC to attend training camps alongside the AFC’s male referees for two consecutive years. These programmes have provided the Vietnamese referee with opportunities to access AFC training programmes, update her technical knowledge and develop her officiating methods in line with AFC standards, further strengthening her capabilities and experience at international level.

Her continued appointments to major competitions in 2026 provide Le Thi Ly with valuable opportunities to gain further international experience, while contributing to the growing presence of Vietnamese referees in the officiating of major women’s football competitions at continental level.