François Letexier from France will referee the 2026 UEFA Europa League final between SC Freiburg and Aston Villa, to be played at Beşiktaş Park in Istanbul, Türkiye, on Wednesday 20 May 2026 at 21:00 CEST (22:00 local time). An international referee since 2017, the 37-year-old French has this season taken charge of eight UEFA Champions League matches – including the quarter-final return leg between Arsenal FC and Sporting CP. This will be his second UEFA competition final as a referee after having officiated Spain vs England in the UEFA EURO 2024 final. He also refereed the 2023 UEFA Super Cup between Manchester City and Sevilla FC and was the fourth official of the 2024 UEFA Champions League final. He took charge of four matches at UEFA EURO 2024.
20 May 2026
SC Freiburg – Aston Villa
Referee: François Letexier (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Cyril Mugnier (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Mehdi Rahmouni (FRA)
Fourth Official: Alejandro Hernández Hernández (ESP)
Reserve AR: José Naranjo Pérez (ESP)
VAR: Jérôme Brisard (FRA)
AVAR: Willy Delajod (FRA)
SVAR: Dennis Higler (NED)
SC Freiburg – Aston Villa
Referee: François Letexier (FRA)
Assistant Referee 1: Cyril Mugnier (FRA)
Assistant Referee 2: Mehdi Rahmouni (FRA)
Fourth Official: Alejandro Hernández Hernández (ESP)
Reserve AR: José Naranjo Pérez (ESP)
VAR: Jérôme Brisard (FRA)
AVAR: Willy Delajod (FRA)
SVAR: Dennis Higler (NED)
