Ryan Shepheard to officiate at FIFA Futsal World Cup Lithuania 2021™

Football Australia would like to congratulate referee Ryan Shepheard on being appointed as a match official for the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2021™ in Lithuania. 

Shepheard was selected by FIFA as one of eight Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Futsal referees from the final list of 39 officials.

The 2021 tournament, which was originally scheduled for 2020, will begin on 12 September in Vilnius, with the final taking place on 3 October in Kaunas. 

Shepheard has been a FIFA Futsal Referee since 2009 and has travelled across the globe to officiate both continental and international tournaments over the last 12 years. 

He has extensive experience with both Futsal and outdoor formats of the game, refereeing 32 times in the A-League from 2009 to 2012. 

The Australian arrived in Lithuania on Thursday, with the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2021 Lithuania™ kicking off in just 9 days. 

Rhyan Shepheard
Ryan Shepheard (second from right) refereeing a Futsal match between Japan and Argentina.

Ryan Shepheard's Refereeing Honours: 


  • 2009: AFC Futsal Championship 2010 Qualification East Zone – Beijing, China (Referee on Final, doubled as EAFF Futsal Championship)
  • 2010: AFC Futsal Championship 2010 – Tashkent, Uzbekistan (Referee on Semi Final, Timekeeper on Final)
  • 2011: AFC Futsal Club Championship 2011 – Doha, Qatar (Referee on Third Place Playoff)
  • 2013: AFC Futsal Championship 2014 Qualification East Zone – Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
  • 2014: AFC Futsal Club Championship 2014 – Chengdu, China (Second Referee on Semi Final, Timekeeper on Final)
  • 2015: AFC Women’s Futsal Championship 2015 (inaugural tournament) – Nilai, Malaysia (Referee on Semi Final, Third Referee on Third Place Playoff)
  • 2015: AFC Futsal Championship 2016 Qualification East Zone – Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
  • 2016: AFC Futsal Club Championship 2016 – Bangkok, Thailand (Referee on Final)
  • 2017: AFC U20 Futsal Championship 2017 (inaugural tournament) – Bangkok, Thailand (Referee on Semi Final, Third Referee on Third Place Playoff)
  • 2017: AFC Futsal Championship 2018 Qualification East Zone – Bangkok, Thailand
  • 2017: AFC Futsal Championship 2018 Qualification West Zone – Bangkok, Thailand
  • 2018: AFC U20 Futsal Championship 2019 Qualification West Zone – Fujairah, United Arab Emirates
  • 2018: AFC Futsal Club Championship 2018 – Yogyakarta, Indonesia (Referee on Semi Final, Third Referee on Final)
  • 2019: AFC Futsal Club Championship 2019 – Bangkok, Thailand (Referee on Semi Final, Timekeeper on Final)