The continental football body released a list of match officials to handle the game on Tuesday.
According to the release, the Super Eagles will take on the Atlas Lions of Morocco at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on Wednesday, January 14, 2026 at 9 pm Nigerian time.
Ghanaian-born Daniel Nii Laryea will take charge of the game, with South Africa’s Zakhele Siwela and Lesotho’s Souru Phatsoane as assistant referees.
WITHIN NIGERIA made findings on the central referee, his rise to the continental level.
He has been listed international referee for FIFA since 2014.
He is also one of the referees for the Ghana Premier League.
In 2021, Laryea was officially selected as a referee for the delayed 2020 African Nations Championship in Cameroon.
Early life
Laryea was born on 11 September 1987 in Accra. He had his secondary education at the Accra Academy where he played football and later became the goalkeeper for the school’s football team.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Ghana Business School.
He also has a degree in Physical Education from the University of Education, Winneba.
Career
He began as a professional referee in the Ghanaian lower division league at the age of 17 in 2005.
He officiated his first Ghana Premier League between Medeama and Berekum Chelsea in 2012 when he was 24.
In 2014, he became a FIFA listed referee.
For this enlistment, Laryea has officiated in a number of international football competitions including the 2017 CAF U-17 Cup of Nations which was held in Gabon, the 2018 WAFU Cup of Nations in Ghana, the 2018 CHAN hosted by Morocco, and the 2020 CHAN tournament held in Cameroon.
In 2021, he was called to officiate the 2021 Ghanaian FA Cup final between Hearts of Oak and the Ashanti Gold.
He also officiated the high-profile debut match between Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko in the 2020–21 season.
Laryea was also one of the appointed referees of the 2021 African Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
He also officiated during the 2022 CAF Women’s League in Morocco.
He was the Assistant Video Assistant Referee (AVAR) for the 2022 CAF Women’s Champion’s League Final.
By and large, on 6 December 2022, he also made the list of officials for the rescheduled 2022 African Nations Championship in 2022 in Algeria.
On 13 January 2023, he served as the Assistant video assistant referee for the opening match for the competition between Algeria and Libya.
