A prominent Antigua and Barbuda football official is set to bring her expertise to one of the game’s biggest youth global tournaments, with a landmark appointment that puts her Caribbean region’s refereeing development work in the international spotlight.
Kelesha Antoine, who leads referee operations for the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association (ABFA), will travel to Poland this fall to serve as a FIFA Referee Fitness Instructor for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. The ABFA publicly confirmed the new international assignment in an official announcement Wednesday, highlighting Antoine’s longstanding commitment to growing refereeing talent both at home and across the Caribbean community.
The 2026 edition of the tournament, which brings together 24 of the world’s top under-20 women’s national teams, will kick off on September 5 and conclude with the final match on September 27 across host venues in Poland. For Antoine, this latest role builds on a years-long career of regional and global leadership in referee development: she currently serves as the ABFA’s Head of Refereeing, holds seats on referee committees for both the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) and the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), and is formally listed by FIFA as Antigua and Barbuda’s national referee coordinator.
Notably, Antoine will travel directly to Poland from her most recent regional assignment: the CFU U-14 Challenge Series, where she supported the youth tournament as an administrator and lead instructor for the CFU’s ongoing referee development initiative. This is not her first time serving as a FIFA fitness instructor at major professional development programming, either. She previously led fitness training for regional referee development courses, including the CFU Next Generation Referee Course, one of the region’s flagship programs to grow new young refereeing talent.
In its statement this week, the ABFA extended formal congratulations to Antoine on the prestigious appointment. Association representatives noted that her work continues to raise the bar for refereeing standards across the entire Caribbean, while also showcasing Antigua and Barbuda’s specialized sports leadership expertise on the global football stage.