UEFA Champions League 2025/2026 – Round of 16 (First Leg)

10 March 2026

Galatasaray – Liverpool
Referee: Jesús Gil Manzano ESP (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Ángel Nevado Rodriguez ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Guadalupe Porras Ayuso ESP
Fourth Official: Juan Martínez Munuera ESP
VAR: Guillermo Cuadra Fernández ESP
AVAR: Valentín Pizarro Gómez ESP
Referee Observer: Vlado Svilokos CRO

Atalanta BC – Bayern Munchen
Referee: Espen Eskas NOR
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Engan NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Isaak Bashevkin NOR
Fourth Official: Sigurd Kringstad NOR
VAR: Tiago Martins POR
AVAR: Dennis Higler NED
Referee Observer: Martin Atkinson ENG

Newcastle United – FC Barcelona
Referee: Marco Guida ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Giorgio Peretti ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Giuseppe Perrotti ITA
Fourth Official: Matteo Marcenaro ITA
VAR: Daniele Chiffi ITA
AVAR: Marco Di Bello ITA
Referee Observer: Drago Kos SVN

Atletico de Madrid – Tottenham Hotspur
Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük NED
Assistant Referee 1: Patrick Inia NED
Assistant Referee 2: Rogier Honig NED
Fourth Official: Jeroen Manschot NED
VAR: Pol van Boekel NED
AVAR: Rob Dieperink NED
Referee Observer: Domenico Messina ITA

11 March 2026
Bayer Leverkusen – Arsenal FC
Referee: Halil Meler TUR
Assistant Referee 1: Ibrahim Uyarcan TUR
Assistant Referee 2: Abdullah Özkara TUR
Fourth Official: Cihan Aydin TUR
VAR: Rob Dieperink NED
AVAR: Tiago Martins POR
Referee Observer: Carlos Velasco Carballo ESP

Paris St. Germain – Chelsea FC
Referee: Alejandro Hernández Hernández ESP
Assistant Referee 1: José Naranjo Pérez ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Diego Sánchez Rojo ESP
Fourth Official: José Munuera Montero ESP
VAR: Carlos Del Cerro Grande ESP
AVAR: César Soto Grado ESP
Referee Observer: Alfredo Trentalange ITA

Real Madrid – Manchester City
Referee: Maurizio Mariani ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Daniele Bindoni ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Alberto Tegoni ITA
Fourth Official: Matteo Marchetti ITA
VAR: Marco Di Bello ITA
AVAR: Daniele Chiffi ITA
Referee Observer: Jon Skjervold NOR

Bodo Glimt – Sporting CP
Referee: Ivan Kružliak SVK
Assistant Referee 1: Branislav Hancko SVK
Assistant Referee 2: Jan Pozor SVK
Fourth Official: Michal Očenáš SVK
VAR: Bastian Dankert GER
AVAR: Robert Schröder GER
Referee Observer: Pascal Garibian FRA

CONMEBOL Libertadores 2026 – Third Round (First Leg)

10-12 March 2026

Botafogo – Barcelona
Referee: Piero Maza CHI (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Claudio Urrutia CHI
Assistant Referee 2: Miguel Rocha CHI
Fourth Official: Mathias Riquelme CHI
VAR: Juan Lara CHI
AVAR: Edson Cisternas CHI
Referee Assessor: Fernando Falce URU
VAR Supervisor: Angel Sanchez ARG

Sporting Cristal – Carabobo
Referee: Gustavo Tejera URU
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Soppi URU
Assistant Referee 2: Horacio Ferreiro URU
Fourth Official: Jose Burgos URU
VAR: Christian Ferreyra URU
AVAR: Santiago Fernandez URU
Referee Assessor: Marcelo Rogerio BRA
VAR Supervisor: Victor Martinez PAR

Deportes Tolima – O’Higgins
Referee: Anderson Daronco BRA
Assistant Referee 1: Danilo Manis BRA
Assistant Referee 2: Bruno Boschilia BRA
Fourth Official: Bruno Arleu BRA
VAR: Daniel Nobre BRA
AVAR: Rodrigo Guarizo BRA
Referee Assessor: Ubaldo Aquino PAR
VAR Supervisor: Emerson De Carvalho BRA

Independiente Medellin – Juventud
Referee: Juan Benitez PAR
Assistant Referee 1: Eduardo Cardozo PAR
Assistant Referee 2: Milciades Saldivar PAR
Fourth Official: David Ojeda PAR
VAR: Ulises Mereles PAR
AVAR: Carlos Figueredo PAR
Referee Assessor: Cesar Escano PER
VAR Supervisor: Patricio Polic CHI

FIFA World Cup 2026 – Prospective Referees and Video Match Officials

AFC

Referees
1. Alireza Faghani (AUS, 1978, photo)
2. Ma Ning (CHN, 1979)
3. Yusuke Araki (JPN, 1986)
4. Adham Makhadmeh (JOR, 1986)
5. Khalid Al-Turais (KSA, 1987)
6. Ahmed Al Kaf (OMA, 1983)
7. Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (QAT, 1987)
8. Salman Falahi (QAT, 1990)
9. Omar Al-Ali (UAE, 1988)
10. Ilgiz Tantashev (UZB, 1984)

Video Match Officials
1. Shaun Evans (AUS, 1987)
2. Kate Jacewicz (AUS, 1985)
3. Fu Ming (CHN, 1983)
4. Jumpei Iida (JPN, 1981)
5. Kim Woo-Sung (KOR, 1987)
6. Khamis Al-Marri (QAT, 1984)
7. Abdullah Al-Shehri (KSA, 1992)
8. Muhammad Bin Jahari (SIN, 1986)
9. Sivakorn Pu-Udom (THA, 1987)
10. Mohammed Obaid (UAE, 1984)

CAF
Referees
1. Mustapha Ghorbal (ALG, 1985)
2. Jean Ndala (COD, 1987)
3. Amin Omar (EGY, 1985)
4. Pierre Atcho (GAB, 1992)
5. Dahane Beida (MTN, 1991)
6. Jalal Jayed (MAR, 1987)
7. Issa Sy (SEN, 1984)
8. Omar Artan (SOM, 1992)
9. Abongile Tom (RSA, 1991)
10. Mahmood Ismail (SDN, 1988)

Video Match Officials
1. Lahlou Benbraham (ALG, 1986)
2. Mahmoud Ashour (EGY, 1976)
3. Letticia Viana (ESW, 1985)
4. Hamza El-Fariq (MAR, 1990)
5. Maria Rivet (MRI, 1984)
6. Abongile Tom (RSA, 1991)
7. Haythem Guirat (TUN, 1990)

CONCACAF
Referees
1. Drew Fischer (CAN, 1980)
2. Juan Calderon (CRC, 1987)
3. Ivan Barton (SLV, 1991)
4. Mario Escobar (GUA, 1986)
5. Said Martinez (HON, 1991)
6. Oshane Nation (JAM, 1991)
7. Cesar Ramos (MEX, 1983)
8. Katia Garcia (MEX, 1992)
9. Joseph Dickerson (USA, 1987)
10. Ismail Elfath (USA, 1982)
11. Tori Penso (USA, 1985)

Video Match Officials
1. Benjamin Pineda (CRC, 1987)
2. Erick Miranda (MEX, 1982)
3. Guillermo Pacheco (MEX, 1995)
4. Tatiana Guzman (NCA, 1985)
5. Allen Chapman (USA, 1974)
6. Armando Villarreal (USA, 1986)

CONMEBOL
Referees
1. Yael Falcon (ARG, 1988)
2. Dario Herrera (ARG, 1985))
3. Facundo Tello (ARG, 1982))
4. Ramon Abatti (BRA, 1989)
5. Raphael Claus (BRA, 1979)
6. Wilton Sampaio (BRA, 1981)
7. Cristian Garay (CHI, 1989)
8. Andres Rojas (COL, 1984)
9. Juan Benitez (PAR, 1984)
10. Kevin Ortega (PER, 1992)
11. Andres Matonte (URU, 1988)
12. Gustavo Tejera (URU, 1988)
13. Jesus Valenzuela (VEN, 1983)

Video Match Officials
1. Hernan Mastrangelo (ARG, 1981)
2. Daiane Muniz (BRA, 1988)
3. Rodolpho Toski (BRA, 1987)
4. Rodrigo Carvajal (CHI, 1986)
5. Juan Lara (CHI, 1989)
6. Nicolas Gallo (COL, 1986)
7. Antonio Garcia (URU, 1986)
8. Leodan Gonzalez (URU, 1983)
9. Juan Soto (VEN, 1977)

OFC
Referee
1. Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh (NZL, 1983)

UEFA
Referees
1. Irfan Peljto (BIH, 1984)
2. Michael Oliver (ENG, 1985)
3. Anthony Taylor (ENG, 1978)
4. Francois Letexier (FRA, 1989)
5. Clement Turpin (FRA, 1982)
6. Felix Zwayer (GER, 1981)
7. Maurizio Mariani (ITA, 1982)
8. Danny Makkelie (NED, 1983)
9. Espen Eskas (NOR, 1988)
10. Szymon Marciniak (POL, 1981)
11. Joao Pinheiro (POR, 1988)
12. Istvan Kovacs (ROU, 1984)
13. Slavko Vinčić (SVN, 1979)
14. Jose Sanchez Martinez (ESP, 1983)
15. Glenn Nyberg (SWE, 1988)
16. Sandro Schärer (SUI, 1988)

Video Match Officials
1. Bram Van Driessche (BEL, 1985)
2. Ivan Bebek (CRO, 1977)
3. Jarred Gillett (ENG, 1986)
4. Jerôme Brisard (FRA, 1986)
5. Bastian Dankert (GER, 1980)
6. Marco Di Bello (ITA, 1981)
7. Rob Dieperink (NED, 1988)
8. Dennis Higler (NED, 1985)
9. Tomasz Kwiatkowski (POL, 1978)
10. Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP, 1976)
11. Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP, 1982)
12. Fedayi San (SUI, 1982)

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 Qualifiers – UEFA (Matchday 2)

7 March 2026

England – Iceland
Referee: Silvia Gasperotti ITA (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Stefania Signorelli ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Alessia Cerrato ITA
Fourth Official: Maria Marotta ITA
Referee Observer: Elke Günther GER

Kazakhstan – Belarus
Referee: Tjaša Misja SVN
Assistant Referee 1: Sladjana Jovičić SVN
Assistant Referee 2: Kaja Škrban SVN
Fourth Official: Aleksandra Česen SVN
Referee Observer: Dilan Gökçek Işcan TUR

Bosnia and Herzegovina – Liechtenstein
Referee: Asen Albayrak TUR
Assistant Referee 1: Arzu Görgün TUR
Assistant Referee 2: Ayenur Karakoc TUR
Fourth Official: Melek Dakan TUR
Referee Observer: Aneliya Sinabova BUL

Cyprus – Romania
Referee: Eszter Urban HUN
Assistant Referee 1: Nikolett Bizderi HUN
Assistant Referee 2: Noemi Hegedus-Barath HUN
Fourth Official: Katalin Sipos HUN
Referee Observer: Viola Raudziņa LVA

Finland – Latvia
Referee: Tatyana Sorokopudova KAZ
Assistant Referee 1: Nargis Magau KAZ
Assistant Referee 2: Dinara Idrisova KAZ
Fourth Official: Oxana Cruc MDA
Referee Observer: Marta Frías Acedo.ESP

Hungary – Azerbaijan
Referee: Filipa Cunha POR
Assistant Referee 1: Andreia Sousa POR
Assistant Referee 2: Cristiana Costa POR
Fourth Official: Sara Alves POR
Referee Observer: Jelena Banjeglav-Rankov SRB

North Macedonia – Andorra
Referee: Charlotte Carpenter WAL
Assistant Referee 1: Ceri Williams WAL
Assistant Referee 2: Michelle Portelli WAL
Fourth Official: Iwan Griffith WAL
Referee Observer: Aušra Kancė LTU

Serbia – Sweden
Referee: Fabienne Michel GER
Assistant Referee 1: Anne Uersfeld GER
Assistant Referee 2: Isabel Steinke GER
Fourth Official: Angelika Soeder GER
Referee Observer: Gyöngyi Gaál HUN

Lithuania – Estonia
Referee: Marina Višnjić-Živković SRB
Assistant Referee 1: Aleksandra Kostić SRB
Assistant Referee 2: Andrea Mijailović SRB
Fourth Official: Milica Milovanović SRB
Referee Observer: Hilda McDermott IRL

Portugal – Slovakia
Referee: Martina Molinaro ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Veronica Martinelli ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Laura Gasparini ITA
Fourth Official: Deborah Bianchi ITA
Referee Observer: Dagmar Damková CZE

Belgium – Israel
Referee: Rasa Grigone LTU
Assistant Referee 1: Irina Pozdejeva LTU
Assistant Referee 2: Ieva Ramanauskiene LTU
Fourth Official: Ugne Šmitaite LTU
Referee Observer: Katarzyna Wierzbowska POL

Croatia – Kosovo
Referee: Lovisa Johansson SWE
Assistant Referee 1: Camilla Stendahl SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Tilde Larsson SWE
Fourth Official: Selma Griberg SWE
Referee Observer: Sandra Renon FRA

Wales – Montenegro
Referee: Caroline Lanssens BEL
Assistant Referee 1: Margot Jacobs BEL
Assistant Referee 2: Amina Gutschi AUT
Fourth Official: Fabienne Hofer AUT
Referee Observer: Kirsi Heikkinen FIN

Norway – Germany
Referee: Stéphanie Frappart FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Camille Soriano FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Melissa Rossignol FRA
Fourth Official: Elisa Daupeux FRA
Referee Observer: Emilia Wnuk POL

Ukraine – Spain
Referee: Maika Vanderstichel FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Elodie Coppola FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Jennifer Maubacq FRA
Fourth Official: Clémence Goncalves FRA
Referee Observer: Rhona Coombes IRL

Scotland – Luxembourg
Referee: Nanna Andersen DEN
Assistant Referee 1: Sidsel Dall DEN
Assistant Referee 2: Katrine Stensholm DEN
Fourth Official: Frederikke Sokjaer DEN
Referee Observer: Tanja Subotič SVN

Albania – Czechia
Referee: Lotta Vuorio FIN
Assistant Referee 1: Heini Hyvönen FIN
Assistant Referee 2: Taru Tiensuu FIN
Fourth Official: Lina Lehtovaara FIN
Referee Observer: Graziella Pirriatore ITA

Italy – Denmark
Referee: Désirée Blanco SUI
Assistant Referee 1: Susanne Küng SUI
Assistant Referee 2: Linda Schmid SUI
Fourth Official: Michèle Schmölzer SUI
Referee Observer: Christine Frai GER

Slovenia – Austria
Referee: Hristiyana Guteva BUL
Assistant Referee 1: Pavleta Rashkova BUL
Assistant Referee 2: Liliya Dumbalakova BUL
Fourth Official: Kristina Georgieva BUL
Referee Observer: Kateryna Monzul UKR

Malta – Switzerland
Referee: Jelena Medjedović SRB
Assistant Referee 1: Andrea Marinković SRB
Assistant Referee 2: Maja Milošević SRB
Fourth Official: Mima Stanković SRB
Referee Observer: Knarik Grigoryan ARM

Gibraltar – Bulgaria
Referee: Laura Mauricio SUI
Assistant Referee 1: Melissa Dos Santos SUI
Assistant Referee 2: Laetitia Nuara SUI
Fourth Official: Deborah Anex SUI
Referee Observer: Nelly Viennot FRA

Greece – Faroe Islands
Referee: Jeļena Jermolajeva LVA
Assistant Referee 1: Diana Vanaga LVA
Assistant Referee 2: Marita Vitola LVA
Fourth Official: Tatjana Lavrentika LVA
Referee Observer: Anja Kunick GER

Northern Ireland – Türkiye
Referee: Olivia Tschon AUT
Assistant Referee 1: Biljana Iskin AUT
Assistant Referee 2: Linda Achmüller AUT
Fourth Official: Lena Hirtl AUT
Referee Observer: Vesna Budimir CRO

Netherlands – Ireland
Referee: Frida Klarlund DEN
Assistant Referee 1: Monica Lokkkeberg NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Alisa Levalampi SWE
Fourth Official: Julie Thomsen DEN
Referee Observer: Esther Staubli SUI

France – Poland
Referee: Alina Peşu ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Daniela Constantinescu ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Anita Vad HUN
Fourth Official: Roxana Recorean ROU
Referee Observer: Silvia Spinelli ITA

AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 – Group Stage (Matches 13-20)

8 March 2026

Australia – Korea
Referee: Yoshimi Yamashita JPN (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Makoto Bozono JPN
Assistant Referee 2: Chihiro Ikki JPN
Fourth Official: Asaka Koizumi JPN
VAR: Jumpei Iida JPN
AVAR: Meshari Al-Shamari QAT
Referee Assessor: Widiya Shamsuri MAS

Iran – Philippines
Referee: Tian Jin CHN
Assistant Referee 1: Xie Lijun CHN
Assistant Referee 2: Bao Mengxiao CHN
Fourth Official: Dong Fangyu CHN
VAR: Fu Ming CHN
AVAR: Law Bik Chi HKG
Referee Assessor: Heba Abed JOR

9 March 2026
Bangladesh – Uzbekistan
Referee: Mahnaz Zokaee IRN
Assistant Referee 1: Park Mi-Suk KOR
Assistant Referee 2: Riiohlang Dhar IND
Fourth Official: Doumouh Albakkar LBN
VAR: Mamdouh Al-Shadan KSA
AVAR: Kim Hee-Gon KOR
Referee Assessor: Thein Aye MYA

Korea DPR – China
Referee: Le Thi Ly VIE
Assistant Referee 1: Ha Thi Phuong VIE
Assistant Referee 2: Nuannid Donjangreed THA
Fourth Official: Lara Lee AUS
VAR: Katherine Jacewicz AUS
AVAR: Meshari Al-Shamari QAT 

Referee Assessor: Sachiko Yamagishi JPN

10 March 2026
Japan – Vietnam
Referee: Kim Yu-Jeong KOR
Assistant Referee 1: Heba Saadieh PLE
Assistant Referee 2: Hinthong Supawan THA
Fourth Official: Pansa Chaisanit THA
VAR: Kim Hee-Gon KOR
AVAR: Muhammad Bin Jahari SGP
Referee Assessor: Thein Aye MYA

India – Chinese Tapipei
Referee: Casey Reibelt AUS
Assistant Referee 1: Emma Kocbek AUS
Assistant Referee 2: Madelaine Allum AUS
Fourth Official: Supiree Testhomya THA
VAR: Katherine Jacewicz AUS
AVAR: Sivakorn Pu-Udom THA
Referee Assessor: Widiya Shamsuri MAS

FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 – Seminar for Prospective Referees (CONMEBOL & CONCACAF)

Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), 21-27 March 2026

CONMEBOL

1. Alejandra Quisbert (BOL, 1992)
2. Edina Alves (BRA, 1980, photo)
3. Daiane Muniz (BRA, 1988)
4. Charly Straub (BRA, 1987)
5. Dione Rissios (CHI, 1990)
6. Maria Daza (COL, 1986)
7. Veronica Guazhambo (ECU, 1996)
8. Zulma Quinonez (PAR, 1986)
9. Milagros Arruela (PER, 1992)
10. Anahi Fernandez (URU, 1993)
11. Emikar Calderas (VEN, 1990)

CONCACAF
1. Myriam Marcotte (CAN, 1992)
2. Carly Shaw-MacLaren (CAN, 1996)
3. Marianela Araya (CRC, 1988)
4. Deily Gomez (CRC, 1995)
5. Vimarest Diaz (DOM, 1996)
6. Katia Garcia (MEX, 1992)
7. Lizzet Garcia (MEX, 1990)
8. Karen Hernandez (MEX, 1994)
9. Janeishka Caban (PUR, 1997)
10. Ekaterina Koroleva (USA, 1987)
11. Alyssa Pennington (USA, 1996)
12. Tori Penso (USA, 1985)
13. Natalie Simon (USA, 1993)

AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 – Group Stage (Matches 9-12)

6 March 2026

Bangladesh – Korea DPR
Referee: Doumouh Albakkar LBN (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Amal Badhafari UAE
Assistant Referee 2: Riiohlang Dhar IND
Fourth Official: Mahnaz Zokaee IRN
VAR: Meshari Al-Shamari QAT
AVAR: Mamdouh Al-Shadan KSA
Referee Assessor: Sachiko Yamagishi JPN

Uzbekistan – China
Referee: Supiree Testhomya THA
Assistant Referee 1: Hinthong Supawan THA
Assistant Referee 2: Nuannid Donjangreed THA
Fourth Official: Pansa Chaisanit THA
VAR: Sivakorn Pu-Udom THA
AVAR: Jumpei Iida JPN
Referee Assessor: Hong Eun-Ah KOR

7 March 2026
Chinese Taipei – Vietnam
Referee: Lara Lee AUS
Assistant Referee 1: Emma Kocbek AUS
Assistant Referee 2: Madelaine Allum AUS
Fourth Official: Casey Reibelt AUS
VAR: Katherine Jacewicz AUS
AVAR: Meshari Al-Shamari QAT
Referee Assessor: Niu Huijun CHN

India – Japan
Referee: Veronika Bernatskaia KGZ
Assistant Referee 1: Sabreen Alabadi JOR
Assistant Referee 2: Hyon Un-Mi PRK
Fourth Official: Oh Hyeon-Jeong KOR
VAR: Kim Hee-Gon KOR
AVAR: Muhammad Bin Jahari SIN 

Referee Assessor: Thein Aye MYA

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 Qualifiers – UEFA (Matchday 1)

3 March 2026

Ireland – France
Referee: Tess Olofsson SWE (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Almira Spahić SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Tilde Larsson SWE
Fourth Official: Lovisa Johansson SWE
Referee Observer: Eleni Kyriou GRE

Bulgaria – Croatia
Referee: Araksya Saribekyan ARM
Assistant Referee 1: Liana Grigoryan ARM
Assistant Referee 2: Liana Yagmuryan ARM
Fourth Official: Sofik Torosyan ARM
Referee Observer: Nelly Viennot FRA

Azerbaijan – North Macedonia
Referee: Anna Adamska POL
Assistant Referee 1: Julia Bukarowicz POL
Assistant Referee 2: Angelika Nowak POL
Fourth Official: Michalina Diakow POL
Referee Observer: Graziella Pirriatore ITA

Bosnia and Herzegovina – Estonia
Referee: Karoline Jensen NOR
Assistant Referee 1: Line Nymoen NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Helle Reiten NOR
Fourth Official: Maren Hatletvedt NOR
Referee Observer: Esther Staubli SUI

Montenegro – Albania
Referee: Miriama Bočková SVK
Assistant Referee 1: Miroslava Pastoreková SVK
Assistant Referee 2: Martina Ukropová SVK
Fourth Official: Zuzana Valentová SVK
Referee Observer: Gyöngyi Gaál HUN

Türkiye – Malta
Referee: Maria Gil Soriano ESP
Assistant Referee 1: Silvia Fernández Pérez ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Rita Cabañero Mompó ESP
Fourth Official: Lorena Trujillano Gallardo ESP
Referee Observer: Snježana Fočić CRO

Slovakia – Latvia
Referee: Vanja Janković SVN
Assistant Referee 1: Helena Buh SVN
Assistant Referee 2: Mediha Durić SVN
Fourth Official: Aleksandra Česen SVN
Referee Observer: Carina Vitulano ITA

Kazakhstan – Armenia
Referee: Lorraine Watson SCO
Assistant Referee 1: Vikki Robertson SCO
Assistant Referee 2: Victoria Reilly SCO
Fourth Official: Lauren Whitehead SCO
Referee Observer: Olga Tanschi MDA

Romania – Moldova
Referee: Sofiya Prychyna UKR
Assistant Referee 1: Maryna Striletska UKR
Assistant Referee 2: Oleksandra Vdovina UKR
Fourth Official: Liudmyla Telbukh UKR
Referee Observer: Blaženka Logarušić CRO

Kosovo – Gibraltar
Referee: Oxana Cruc MDA
Assistant Referee 1: Natalia Ceban MDA
Assistant Referee 2: Ana Bahcivanji MDA
Fourth Official: Roman Jitari MDA
Referee Observer: Hilda McDermott IRL

Greece – Georgia
Referee: Lizzy Van Der Helm NED
Assistant Referee 1: Gerda Brežneva LTU
Assistant Referee 2: Ieva Ramanauskienė LTU
Fourth Official: Sterre Bijlsma NED
Referee Observer: Marta Atzori ITA

Germany – Slovenia
Referee: Eleni Antoniou GRE
Assistant Referee 1: Vasilia Tsiklitari GRE
Assistant Referee 2: Maria Detsi GRE
Fourth Official: Eirini Pingiou GRE
Referee Observer: Esther Azzopardi MLT

Denmark – Serbia
Referee: Abigail Byrne ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Anastasiya Voloshchuk ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Ruby Sykes ENG
Fourth Official: Grace Lowe ENG
Referee Observer: Teodora Albon ROU

Austria – Norway
Referee: Kirsty Dowle ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Georgia Ball ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Isabel Chaplin ENG
Fourth Official: Emily Heaslip ENG
Referee Observer: Antonia Kokotou GRE

Poland – Netherlands
Referee: Ivana Projkovska MKD
Assistant Referee 1: Elena Soklevska-Ilievski MKD
Assistant Referee 2: Svitlana Grushko UKR
Fourth Official: Sabina Bolić CRO
Referee Observer: Jenny Palmqvist SWE

Ukraine – England
Referee: Catarina Campos POR
Assistant Referee 1: Andreia Sousa POR
Assistant Referee 2: Vanessa Gomes POR
Fourth Official: Filipa Cunha POR
Referee Observer: Ivana Vlaić BIH

Italy – Sweden
Referee: Olatz Rivera Olmedo ESP
Assistant Referee 1: Iragartze Fernández Esesúmaga ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Eliana Fernández González ESP
Fourth Official: Beatriz Cuesta Arribas ESP
Referee Observer: Petra Pavlíková SVK

Czechia – Wales
Referee: Volha Blotskaya BLR
Assistant Referee 1: Hanna Nalivaika BLR
Assistant Referee 2: Laura Szabó HUN
Fourth Official: Valiantsina Sakalovich BLR
Referee Observer: Tanja Subotič SVN

Spain – Iceland
Referee: Emanuela Rusta ALB
Assistant Referee 1: Mirjeta Salla ALB
Assistant Referee 2: Nicoleta Bria ENG
Fourth Official: Kejsi Tafili ALB
Referee Observer: Carolina De Boeck BEL

Switzerland – Northern Ireland
Referee: Shona Shukrula NED
Assistant Referee 1: Martina Boer NED
Assistant Referee 2: Amina Gutschi AUT
Fourth Official: Manon Plandsoen NED
Referee Observer: Ingrid Jonsson SWE

Andorra – Hungary
Referee: Roxana Recorean ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Marilena Nan ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Andreea Şuşcă ROU
Fourth Official: Alina Peşu ROU
Referee Observer: Cheryl Foster WAL

Liechtenstein – Lithuania
Referee: Teresa Oliveira POR
Assistant Referee 1: Lisandra Tavares POR
Assistant Referee 2: Sara Cunha POR
Fourth Official: Sofia Gama POR
Referee Observer: Cristina Babadac ROU

Luxembourg – Scotland
Referee: Kristina Georgieva BUL
Assistant Referee 1: Pavleta Rashkova BUL
Assistant Referee 2: Liliya Dumbalakova BUL
Fourth Official: Hristiyana Guteva BUL
Referee Observer: Miroslava Migaľová SVK

Israel – Belgium
Referee: Michaela Pachtová CZE
Assistant Referee 1: Lucie Ratajová CZE
Assistant Referee 2: Tereza Holakovská CZE
Fourth Official: Helena Salkova CZE
Referee Observer: Pernilla Larsson SWE

Portugal – Finland
Referee: Franziska Wildfeuer GER
Assistant Referee 1: Daniela Göttlinger GER
Assistant Referee 2: Jasmin Matysiak GER
Fourth Official: Davina Lutz GER
Referee Observer: Sharon Sluyts BEL

AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 – Group Stage (Matches 2-8)

2 March 2026
Korea – Iran
Referee: Veronika Bernatskaia KGZ (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Amal Badhafari UAE
Assistant Referee 2: Riiohlang Dhar IND
Fourth Official: Supiree Testhomya THA
VAR: Mamdouh Al-Shadan KSA
AVAR: Meshari Al-Shamari QAT
Referee Assessor: Heba Abed JOR

3 March 2026
Korea DPR – Uzbekistan
Referee: Casey Reibelt AUS
Assistant Referee 1: Emma Kocbek AUS
Assistant Referee 2: Madelaine Allum AUS
Fourth Official: Lara Lee AUS
VAR: Katherine Jacewicz AUS
AVAR: Jumpei Iida JPN
Referee Assessor: Sachiko Yamagishi JPN

China – Bangladesh
Referee: Pansa Chaisanit THA
Assistant Referee 1: Nuannid Donjangreed THA
Assistant Referee 2: Sabreen Alabadi JOR
Fourth Official: Doumouh Albakkar LBN
VAR: Sivakorn Pu-Udom THA
AVAR: Law Bik Chi HKG
Referee Assessor: Hong Eun-Ah KOR

4 March 2026
Japan – Chinese Taipei
Referee: Oh Hyeon-Jeong KOR
Assistant Referee 1: Park Mi-Suk KOR
Assistant Referee 2: Lee Soo-Bin KOR
Fourth Official: Dong Fangyu CHN
VAR: Meshari Al-Shamari QAT
AVAR: Kim Hee-Gon KOR
Referee Assessor: Thein Aye MYA

Vietnam – India
Referee: Kim Yu-Jeong KOR
Assistant Referee 1: Heba Saadieh PLE
Assistant Referee 2: Hinthong Supawan THA
Fourth Official: Mahnaz Zokaee IRN
VAR: Muhammad Bin Jahari SIN
AVAR: Law Bik Chi HKG
Referee Assessor: Niu Huijun CHN

5 March 2026
Philippines – Korea
Referee: Le Thi Ly VIE
Assistant Referee 1: Ha Thi Phuong VIE
Assistant Referee 2: Bao Mengxiao CH
Fourth Official: Tian Jin CHN
VAR: Muhammad Bin Jahari SIN
AVAR: Sivakorn Pu-Udom THA
Referee Assessor: Heba Abed JOR

Iran – Australia
Referee: Asaka Koizumi JPN
Assistant Referee 1: Makoto Bozono JPN
Assistant Referee 2: Chihiro Ikki JPN
Fourth Official: Yoshimi Yamashita JPN
VAR: Jumpei Iida JPN
AVAR: Fu Ming CHN
Referee Assessor: Hong Eun-Ah KOR

The IFAB seeking to improve match flow and player behaviour

At its 140th Annual General Meeting (AGM), The International Football Association Board (The IFAB) approved a package of measures designed to enhance match tempo and reduce time-wasting across the game. These changes, which will be implemented at the FIFA World Cup 2026 and all other competitions, respond directly to calls from stakeholders across the football community, including The IFAB’s globally representative advisory panels, for practical tools to protect effective playing time.

Throw-ins and goal kicks

Building on last year’s widely welcomed change in the Laws to prevent goalkeepers from holding the ball for too long, the AGM confirmed the extension of the countdown principle to throw-ins and goal kicks. If the referee considers that a throw-in or goal kick is taking too long or is being deliberately delayed, a five-second visual countdown will be initiated. If the ball is not in play at the end of the countdown, the throw-in will be awarded to the opposing team; a delayed goal kick will result in a corner kick to the opposing team.

Time-limited substitutions

To further streamline match flow, substituted players must leave the field of play within 10 seconds of the substitution board being displayed or, where no board is used, upon the referee’s signal. Should the player fail to leave within this time, they must still exit the field; however, the substitute will not be permitted to enter until the first stoppage after one minute of play (running clock) has elapsed.

Off-field treatment and assessment

Where a player receives on-field assessment for an injury, or their injury causes play to be stopped, the player will be required to leave the field of play and remain off for one minute once play (running clock) has restarted.

VAR system protocol developments

Regarding the VAR system protocol, the AGM approved three adjustments. Where there is clear evidence, the VAR will now be permitted to check and review: red cards arising from a clearly incorrect second yellow card; mistaken identity, when the referee penalises the wrong team for an offence resulting in a red or yellow card being shown to the wrong player; and competitions may allow VARs to review a clearly incorrectly awarded corner kick, provided that the review can be completed immediately and without delaying the restart.

Laws of the Game 2026/27

Additionally, the next edition of the Laws of the Game, effective from 1 July 2026 (with competitions starting before that date being able to implement the changes earlier), will feature the following amendments:

- Law 3 (The Players): The number of permitted substitutes in senior ‘A’ international friendly matches is increased to eight; both teams may agree to a further increase up to a maximum of eleven.

- Law 4 (The Player’s Equipment): Non-dangerous items will be permitted if safely and securely covered.

- Law 5 (The Referee): Referee body cameras (chest- or head-mounted) may be used as a competition option, with the competition providing the cameras and controlling the use of the footage.

- Law 8 (The Start and Restart of Play): Clarification that the ball is dropped for the team that would have had or retained possession had play not been stopped.

- Law 10 (Determining the Outcome of a Match) and Law 14 (The Penalty Kick): Incorporation of the clarification contained in circular 31 (June 2025) regarding an accidental “double touch” by the penalty taker.

- Law 12 (Fouls and Misconduct): Where the referee applies advantage for an offence for (denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity and a goal is scored), the offending player will not be cautioned, as the offence did not prevent a goal.

The IFAB also agreed that consultation will be held to develop measures where (i) players unilaterally deciding to leave the field of play as an act of protest a referee’s decision or team officials instigating such action, and (ii) players covering their mouth when confronting opponents during matches. The AGM agreed to continue offside trials related to offside and received updates on the development of semi-automated offside technology (SAOT), and the ongoing FIFA-led trial of Football Video Support. (Source: IFAB)

Collina explains upcoming changes

“The goal is to eliminate, or to eliminate as much as possible, timewasting that hinders the spectacle of the game,” Collina told La Gazzetta dello Sport about the upcoming changes that were decided upon on Saturday. “Last year we introduced the ‘eight second rule’ for goalkeepers, which has been a great success. There have been very few cases where a corner has been granted. The deterrent has worked. Considering the amount of time that is lost through so many goal-kicks and free-kicks, we thought we needed to find a solution.”

Another rule that will be introduced at the FIFA World Cup is a 10-second limit for players to leave the field after a substitution has been called. If players fail to leave the pitch within the allocated 10 seconds, the replacement substitute will not be permitted to enter until the next stoppage in play, or until one minute of action has passed. “We already did something, making substitutes leave the pitch from the nearest point. The time limit is a more effective deterrent than the yellow card, which is sometimes seen as some sort of ‘deal’,” Collina said. “The results in recent years in MLS show that this measure works,” he added.

VAR will now be able to intervene on second yellow card decisions, which had not previously been the case. Just two weeks ago in Serie A, Pierre Kalulu was incorrectly sent off for a second bookable offence in one of the biggest matches of the season, the Derby d’Italia between Inter and Juventus, but the referee Federico La Penna was unable to refer the incident for review as it was not a straight red card incident. This will no longer be the case. Some might argue that it should always have been the case that VAR is able to intervene on second yellow card offences and not just for straight red card incidents. “When we decided on the VAR trial in 2016, the technology was very different,” Collina explained. “The protocol was written from scratch and took inspiration from other sports, such as rugby, and video officials had no prior experience. Today, the situation is very different. We’ve been discussing it for a few years and unfortunately until now, some had not considered it to be a priority, which is a shame.” VAR will now also be able to review corner kick decisions, which had not previously been the case. “A corner is a resumption of play that always takes a certain amount of time,” Collina said. “Usually, you must wait until the centre-backs go up and the kicker often has to cross the length of the pitch. In that time, it could be the case that by simply looking at an image, you realise the decision was wrong. Does it make sense to let the corner go and hope that a goal isn’t scored? It’s much better to correct the initial decision and postpone it.” (Source: Football Italia)