FIFA World Cup 2026 – Candidate Referees Seminar (AFC, CAF, OFC)

Doha (Qatar), 23-27 February 2026

AFC
1. Alireza Faghani (AUS, 1978, photo)
2. Ma Ning (CHN, 1979)
3. Adham Makhadmeh (JOR, 1986)
4. Yusuke Araki (JPN, 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, 1981)
10. Ilgiz Tantashev (UZB, 1984)

Not retained from the pre-selected list:
1. Kim Jong-Hyeok (KOR, 1983)
2. Mohammed Al-Hoish (KSA, 1986)
3. Ahmad Al-Ali (KUW, 1984)
4. Nazmi Nasaruddin (MAS, 1990)
5. Adel Al-Naqbi (UAE, 1982)

CAF
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. Mahmood Ismail (SDN, 1988)

Not retained from the pre-selected list:
1. Alhadi Mahamat (CHA, 1986)
2. Mohamed Maarouf (EGY, 1986)
3. Mutaz Ibrahim (LYB, 1990)
4. Abongile Tom (RSA, 1991)

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

Not retained from the pre-selected list: 

1. Ben Aukwai (SOL, 1986)

FIFA Arab Cup 2025 – Quarter-finals

11 December 2025

Morocco – Syria
Referee: Cristian Garay CHI (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Claudio Urrutia CHI
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Retamal CHI
Fourth Official: Juan Benitez PAR
Reserve AR: Eduardo Cardozo PAR
VAR: Rodolpho Toski BRA
AVAR: Benjamin Pineda CRC

Palestine – Saudi Arabia
Referee: Amin Omar EGY
Assistant Referee 1: Mahmoud El-Regal EGY
Assistant Referee 2: Ahmed Ali EGY
Fourth Official: Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh NZL
Reserve AR: Isaac Trevis NZL
VAR: Jarred Gillett ENG
AVAR: Sivakorn Pu-Udom THA

12 December 2025
Jordan – Iraq
Referee: Espen Eskas NOR
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Engan NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Isaak Bashevkin NOR
Fourth Official: Pierre Atcho GAB
Reserve AR: Boris Ditsoga GAB
VAR: Dennis Higler NED
AVAR: Khamis Al-Marri QAT

Algeria – UAE
Referee: Adham Makhadmeh JOR
Assistant Referee 1: Mohammad Al Kalaf JOR
Assistant Referee 2: Ahmad Al Roalle JOR
Fourth Official: Juan Calderon CRC
Reserve AR: Juan Mora CRC
VAR: Allen Chapman USA
AVAR: Abdullah Al-Shehri KSA

UEFA Europa Conference League 2025/26 – Group Stage (Matchday 5)

11 December 2025

AC Fiorentina – Dynamo Kyiv
Referee: Miloš Milanović SRB (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Milan Pašajlić SRB
Assistant Referee 2: Novak Novaković SRB
Fourth Official: Milan Ilić SRB
VAR: Momčilo Marković SRB
AVAR: Milan Stefanović SRB
Referee Observer: Shmuel Shteif ISR

Jagiellonia Bialystok – Rayo Vallecano
Referee: Edgars Maļcevs LVA
Assistant Referee 1: Martiņš Svipsts LVA
Assistant Referee 2: Deniss Ševcenko LVA
Fourth Official: Aleksandrs Anufrijevs LVA
VAR: Kristaps Ratnieks LVA
AVAR: Andrejs Gluhovs LVA
Referee Observer: Georgi Yordanov BUL

FC Drita – AZ Alkmaar
Referee: Dalibor Černý CZE
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Paták CZE
Assistant Referee 2: Kamil Hajek CZE
Fourth Official: Dominik Starý CZE
VAR: Tomas Kocourek CZE
AVAR: Jan Petrik CZE
Referee Observer: László Vagner HUN

Breidablik – Shamrock Rovers
Referee: Enea Jorgji ALB
Assistant Referee 1: Denis Rexha ALB
Assistant Referee 2: Ridiger Çokaj ALB
Fourth Official: Kreshnik Cjapi ALB
VAR: Gianluca Aureliano ITA
AVAR: Kreshnik Barjamaj ALB
Referee Observer: Jens Larsen DEN

Samsunspor – AEK Athens
Referee: Jérémie Pignard FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Aurélien Drouet FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Thomas Luczynski FRA
Fourth Official: Ruddy Buquet FRA
VAR: Mathieu Vernice FRA
AVAR: Elisa Daupeux FRA
Referee Observer: Georgi Vadachkoria GEO

KF Shkendija – Slovan Bratislava
Referee: Ivar Kristjansson ISL
Assistant Referee 1: Birkir Sigurdarson ISL
Assistant Referee 2: Gylfi Sigurdsson ISL
Fourth Official: Vilhjalmur Thorarinsson ISL
VAR: Kevin Clancy SCO
AVAR: Grant Irvine SCO
Referee Observer: Luc Wouters BEL

BK Hacken – AEL Larnaca
Referee: Yigal Frid ISR
Assistant Referee 1: Rostislav Talis ISR
Assistant Referee 2: Tuval Koltunoff ISR
Fourth Official: Idan Leiba ISR
VAR: Eli Hacmon ISR
AVAR: Nati Dotan ISR
Referee Observer: Amaury Delerue FRA

Universitatea Craiova – Sparta Praha
Referee: Jasper Vergoote BE
Assistant Referee 1: Michele Seeldraeyers BEL
Assistant Referee 2: Michael Geerolf BEL
Fourth Official: Kevin Van Damme BEL
VAR: Jan Boterberg BEL
AVAR: Bert Put BEL
Referee Observer: Sergejus Slyva LTU

Noa FA – Legia Warszawa
Referee: Bulat Sariyev KAZ
Assistant Referee 1: Sergei Vassyutin KAZ
Assistant Referee 2: Yuriy Tikhonyuk KAZ
Fourth Official: Arman Ismuratov KAZ
VAR: Manuel Schuettengruber AUT
AVAR: Aidyn Tassybayev KAZ
Referee Observer: Alexandru Tean MDA

Rapid Wien – Omonia Nicosia
Referee: Joey Kooij NED
Assistant Referee 1: Dyon Fikkert NED
Assistant Referee 2: Murat Kücükerbir NED
Fourth Official: Jannick Van Der Laan NED
VAR: Erwin Blank NED
AVAR: Alex Bos NED
Referee Observer: Igor Satchi MDA

Lech Poznan – FSV Mainz
Referee: Andrei Chivulete ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Marius Badea ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Cristian Ilinca ROU
Fourth Official: George Roman ROU
VAR: Sebastian Colţescu ROU
AVAR: Cristina Trandafir ROU
Referee Observer: Dejan Jakimovski MKD

HNK Rijeka – NK Celje
Referee: Andrea Colombo ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Giovanni Baccini ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Giuseppe Perrotti ITA
Fourth Official: Kevin Bonacina ITA
VAR: Valerio Marini ITA
AVAR: Daniele Paterna ITA
Referee Observer: Stavros Mantalos GRE

Lincoln Red Imps – Sigma Olomouc
Referee: Bence Csonka HUN
Assistant Referee 1: Balázs Buzás HUN
Assistant Referee 2: Balázs Szert HUN
Fourth Official: Gergo Bogár HUN
VAR: Ferenc Karakó HUN
AVAR: Tamás Bognár HUN
Referee Observer: Charalambos Kalogeropoulos GRE

KUPS Kuopio – Lausanne Sport
Referee: Oleksii Derevinskyi UKR
Assistant Referee 1: Oleksii Myronov UKR
Assistant Referee 2: Svitlana Grushko UKR
Fourth Official: Dmytro Kubriak UKR
VAR: Denys Shurman UKR
AVAR: Dmytro Panchyshyn UKR
Referee Observer: Gevorg Hovhannisyan ARM

Aberdeen FC – RC Strasbourg
Referee: Robert Schröder GER
Assistant Referee 1: Christian Gittelmann GER
Assistant Referee 2: Robert Wessel GER
Fourth Official: Patrick Ittrich GER
VAR: Bastian Dankert GER
AVAR: Timo Gerach GER
Referee Observer: John Ferry NIR

Rakow Czestochowa – Zrinjski Mostar
Referee: Ondřej Berka CZE
Assistant Referee 1: Ivo Nadvornik CZE
Assistant Referee 2: Matěj Vlček CZE
Fourth Official: Ondrej Pechanec CZE
VAR: Miroslav Zelinka CZE
AVAR: Pavel Orel CZE
Referee Observer: Alain Bieri SUI

Hamrun Spartans – Shakhtar Donetsk
Referee: Florian Badstübner GER
Assistant Referee 1: Christof Günsch GER
Assistant Referee 2: Philipp Hüwe GER
Fourth Official: Robin Braun GER
VAR: Benjamin Cortus GER
AVAR: Patrick Hanslbauer GER
Referee Observer: Zoltan Szarka HUN

Shelbourne FC – Crystal Palace
Referee: Martin Matoša SVN
Assistant Referee 1: Aleksandar Kasapovič SVN
Assistant Referee 2: Matic Mežnar SVN
Fourth Official: Mihael Antič SVN
VAR: Asmir Sagrković SVN
AVAR: Aleksandar Matković SVN
Referee Observer: Iain Robertson Brines SCO

UEFA Europa League 2025/2026 – Group Stage (Matchday 6)

11 December 2025

GNK Dinamo – Real Betis
Referee: Goga Kikacheishvili GEO (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Davit Akhvlediani GEO
Assistant Referee 2: Davit Gabisonia GEO
Fourth Official: Bakari Bregadze GEO
VAR: Peter Bankes ENG
AVAR: Aleko Aptsiauri GEO
Referee Observer: Rune Pedersen NOR

Ferencvarosi TC – Rangers FC
Referee: Anastasios Papapetrou GRE
Assistant Referee 1: Tryfon Petropoulos GRE
Assistant Referee 2: Iordanis Aptosoglou GR
Fourth Official: Fotios Polychronis GRE
VAR: Angelos Evangelou GRE
AVAR: Spyridon Zampalas GRE
Referee Observer: Gediminas Mažeika LTU

BSC Young Boys – LOSC Lille
Referee: Sander van der Eijk NED
Assistant Referee 1: Rens Bluemink NED
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan De Groot NED
Fourth Official: Marc Nagtegaal NED
VAR: Clay Ruperti NED
AVAR: Richard Martens NED
Referee Observer: Peter Sippel GER

FC Midtjylland – KRC Genk
Referee: Vassilis Fotias GRE
Assistant Referee 1: Andreas Meintanas GRE
Assistant Referee 2: Michail Papadakis GRE
Fourth Official: Alexandros Tsakalidis GRE
VAR: César Soto Grado ESP
AVAR: Guillermo Cuadra Fernández ESP
Referee Observer: Thomas Einwaller AUT

PFK Ludogorets – PAOK Salonic
Referee: Horațiu Feșnic ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Valentin Avram ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Alexandru Cerei ROU
Fourth Official: Rareș Vidican ROU
VAR: Ovidiu Haţegan ROU
AVAR: Sorin Costreie ROU
Referee Observer: Vladimir Petrov UKR

Sturm Graz – Crvena Zvezda
Referee: Damian Sylwestrzak POL
Assistant Referee 1: Paweł Sokolnicki POL
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Karasewicz POL
Fourth Official: Marcin Kochanek POL
VAR: Piotr Lasyk POL
AVAR: Kornel Paszkiewicz POL
Referee Observer: Alain Sars FRA

OGC Nice – SC Braga
Referee: Giorgi Kruashvili GEO
Assistant Referee 1: Levan Varamishvili GEO
Assistant Referee 2: Giorgi Elikashvili GEO
Fourth Official: Koba Revazashvili GEO
VAR: Marco Di Bello ITA
AVAR: Aleandro Di Paolo ITA
Referee Observer: Markus Strömbergsson SWE

VfB Stuttgart – Maccabi Tel Aviv
Referee: Marian Barbu ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Mircea Grigoriu ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Adrian Vornicu ROU
Fourth Official: Florin Andrei ROU
VAR: Bram Van Driessche BEL
AVAR: Rob Dieperink NED
Referee Observer: Petteri Kari FIN

FC Utrecht – Nottingham Forest
Referee: Irfan Peljto BIH
Assistant Referee 1: Senad Ibrišimbegović BIH
Assistant Referee 2: Davor Beljo BIH
Fourth Official: Miloš Gigovic BIH
VAR: Ivan Bebek CRO
AVAR: Sascha Stegemann GER
Referee Observer: Nerijus Dunauskas LTU

FC Porto – Malmo FF
Referee: Rohit Saggi NOR
Assistant Referee 1: Morten Jensen NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Anders Dale NOR
Fourth Official: Sigurd Kringstad NOR
VAR: Sören Storks GER
AVAR: Benjamin Brand GER
Referee Observer: René Temmink NED

Olympique Lyonnais – Go Ahead Eagles
Referee: Juxhin Xhaja ALB
Assistant Referee 1: Arber Zalla ALB
Assistant Referee 2: Rejdi Avdo ALB
Fourth Official: Olsion Yzeiraj ALB
VAR: Andrew Dallas SCO
AVAR: Christian Dingert GER
Referee Observer: Uno Tutk EST

Celtic FC – AS Roma
Referee: István Kovács ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Mihai Marica ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Ferencz Tunyogi ROU
Fourth Official: Szabolcs Kovacs ROU
VAR: Cătălin Popa ROU
AVAR: Jérôme Brisard FRA
Referee Observer: Michael Johansen DEN

FC Basel – Aston Villa
Referee: Halil Meler TUR
Assistant Referee 1: Ibrahim Uyarcan TUR
Assistant Referee 2: Abdullah Özkara TUR
Fourth Official: Cihan Aydin TUR
VAR: Michael Fabbri ITA
AVAR: Onur Özütoprak TUR
Referee Observer: Knut Kircher GER

SC Freiburg – FC Salzburg
Referee: Elchin Masiyev AZE
Assistant Referee 1: Elshad Abdullayev AZE
Assistant Referee 2: Parvin Talibov AZE
Fourth Official: Aliyar Aghayev AZE
VAR: Stuart Attwell ENG
AVAR: Pol van Boekel NED
Referee Observer: Juan Fernández Marín ESP

FCSB – Feyenoord Rotterdam
Referee: Mykola Balakin UKR
Assistant Referee 1: Oleksandr Berkut UKR
Assistant Referee 2: Viktor Matyash UKR
Fourth Official: Vitaliy Romanov UKR
VAR: Daniele Chiffi ITA
AVAR: Viktor Kopiievskyi UKR
Referee Observer: Murat Ilgaz TUR

Celta de Vigo – Bologna FC
Referee: Radu Petrescu ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Radu Ghinguleac ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Alexandru Voda ROU
Fourth Official: Cristian Moldoveanu ROU
VAR: Darren England ENG
AVAR: Marcel Birsan ROU
Referee Observer: Dimitar Meckarovski MKD

Panathinaikos – Viktoria Plzen
Referee: António Nobre POR
Assistant Referee 1: Nelson Pereira POR
Assistant Referee 2: Pedro Martins POR
Fourth Official: Fabio Verissimo POR
VAR: André Narciso POR
AVAR: Fábio Melo POR
Referee Observer: Marcin Szulc POL

SK Brann – Fenerbahce
Referee: Willy Delajod FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Erwan Finjean FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Valentin Evrard FRA
Fourth Official: Jérémy Stinat FRA
VAR: Eric Wattellier FRA
AVAR: Marc Bollengier FRA
Referee Observer: Boško Jovanetić SRB

UEFA Champions League 2025/2026 – Group Stage (Matchday 6)

9 December 2025

Qairat FK – Olympiacos Piraeus
Referee: Juan Martínez Munuera ESP (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Raúl Cabañero Martinez ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Iñigo Prieto Lopez ESP
Fourth Official: Javier Alberola Rojas ESP
VAR: Carlos Del Cerro Grande ESP
AVAR: Javier Iglesias Villanueva ESP
Referee Observer: Sokol Jareci ALB

Bayern Munchen – Sporting CP
Referee: Nicholas Walsh SCO
Assistant Referee 1: Francis Connor SCO
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel McFarlane SCO
Fourth Official: Donald Robertson SCO
VAR: Andrew Dallas SCO
AVAR: Rob Dieperink NED
Referee Observer: Augustus Constantin ROU

Inter Milano – Liverpool FC
Referee: Felix Zwayer GER
Assistant Referee 1: Robert Kempter GER
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Dietz GER
Fourth Official: Martin Petersen GER
VAR: Sören Storks GER
AVAR: Christian Dingert GER
Referee Observer: João Ferreira POR

FC Barcelona – Eintracht Frankfurt
Referee: Davide Massa ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Filippo Meli ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Stefano Alassio ITA
Fourth Official: Simone Sozza ITA
VAR: Marco Di Bello ITA
AVAR: Aleandro Di Paolo ITA
Referee Observer: Dejan Filipović SRB

Atalanta FC – Chelsea FC
Referee: Alejandro Hernández Hernández ESP
Assistant Referee 1: José Naranjo Perez ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Diego Sánchez Rojo ESP
Fourth Official: Alejandro Muñiz Ruiz ESP
VAR: César Soto Grado ESP
AVAR: Guillermo Cuadra Fernández ESP
Referee Observer: Michael Argyrou CYP

Tottenham Hotspur – Slavia Praha
Referee: Benoît Bastien FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Hicham Zakrani FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Aurélien Berthomieu FRA
Fourth Official: Thomas Leonard FRA
VAR: Ivan Bebek CRO
AVAR: Jérôme Brisard FRA
Referee Observer: Haim Jakov ISR

PSV Eindhoven – Atletico de Madrid
Referee: Michael Oliver ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt ENG
Assistant Referee 2: James Mainwaring ENG
Fourth Official: Andrew Madley ENG
VAR: Michael Salisbury ENG
AVAR: Stuart Attwell ENG
Referee Observer: Cyril Zimmermann SUI

AS Monaco – Galatasaray
Referee: Danny Makkelie NED
Assistant Referee 1: Hessel Steegstra NED
Assistant Referee 2: Jan de Vries NED
Fourth Official: Allard Lindhout NED
VAR: Bram Van Driessche BEL
AVAR: Benjamin Brand GER
Referee Observer: Helmut Fleischer GER

Union St. Gilloise – Olympique de Marseille
Referee: João Pinheiro POR
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Jesus POR
Assistant Referee 2: Luciano Maia POR
Fourth Official: Cláudio Pereira POR
VAR: Tiago Martins POR
AVAR: Fábio Melo POR
Referee Observer: Jon Skjervold NOR

10 December 2025
Villarreal CF – FC Copenhagen
Referee: Ivan Kružliak SVK
Assistant Referee 1: Branislav Hancko SVK
Assistant Referee 2: Jan Pozor SVK
Fourth Official: Peter Kralović SVK
VAR: Aleandro Di Paolo ITA
AVAR: Marco Di Bello ITA
Referee Observer: Konrad Plautz AUT

Qarabag FK – AFC Ajax
Referee: Rade Obrenovič SVN
Assistant Referee 1: Jure Praprotnik SVN
Assistant Referee 2: Grega Kordež SVN
Fourth Official: Mateo Tozan SVN
VAR: Matej Jug SVN
AVAR: Alen Borošak SVN
Referee Observer: Vlado Svilokos CRO

Borussia Dortmund – Bodo Glimt
Referee: Erik Lambrechts BEL
Assistant Referee 1: Jo de Weirdt BEL
Assistant Referee 2: Kevin Monteny BEL
Fourth Official: Nathan Verboomen BEL
VAR: Pol van Boekel NED
AVAR: Cătălin Popa ROU
Referee Observer: Markus Nobs SUI

Bayer Leverkusen – Newcastle United
Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük NED
Assistant Referee 1: Erwin Zeinstra NED
Assistant Referee 2: Patrick Inia NED
Fourth Official: Jeroen Manschot NED
VAR: Rob Dieperink NED
AVAR: Bram Van Driessche BEL
Referee Observer: Kyros Vassaras GRE

SL Benfica – SSC Napoli
Referee: Slavko Vinčić SVN
Assistant Referee 1: Tomaž Klančnik SVN
Assistant Referee 2: Andraž Kovačič SVN
Fourth Official: David Šmajc SVN
VAR: Christian Dingert GER
AVAR: Stuart Attwell ENG
Referee Observer: Alan Sant MLT

Juventus – Pafos
Referee: Jesús Gil Manzano ESP
Assistant Referee 1: Ángel Nevado Rodriguez ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Guadalupe Porras Ayuso ESP
Fourth Official: José Munuera Montero ESP
VAR: Guillermo Cuadra Fernández ESP
AVAR: César Soto Grado ESP
Referee Observer: Neale Barry ENG

Club Brugge – Arsenal FC
Referee: Sven Jablonski GER
Assistant Referee 1: Eduard Beitinger GER
Assistant Referee 2: Lasse Koslowski GER
Fourth Official: Tobias Reichel GER
VAR: Sascha Stegemann GER
AVAR: Ivan Bebek CRO
Referee Observer: Michal Beneš CZE

Athletic Club – Paris St. Germain
Referee: Daniel Siebert GER
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Seidel GER
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Foltyn GER
Fourth Official: Daniel Schlager GER
VAR: Benjamin Brand GER
AVAR: Andrew Dallas SCO
Referee Observer: Bariş Şimşek TUR

Real Madrid – Manchester City
Referee: Clément Turpin FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Benjamin Pagès FRA
Fourth Official: Stéphanie Frappart FRA
VAR: Jérôme Brisard FRA
AVAR: Sören Storks GER
Referee Observer: Lutz-Michael Fröhlich GER

FIFA Intercontinental Cup 2025 – Match 3 (Derby of the Americas)

10 December 2025

Cruz Azul – CR Flamengo
Referee: Glenn Nyberg SWE (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mahbod Beigi SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Söderkvist SWE
Fourth Official: Espen Eskas NOR
Reserve AR: Jan Engan NOR
VAR: Fedayi San SUI
AVAR: Jarred Gillett ENG

UEFA Women’s Champions League 2025/26 – Group Stage (Matchday 5)

9 December 2025 

SKN St. Polten – Juventus FC
Referee: Catarina Campos POR (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Andreia Sousa POR
Assistant Referee 2: Vanessa Gomes POR
Fourth Official: Filipa Cunha POR
VAR: Bruno Esteves POR
AVAR: Helder Malheiro POR
Referee Observer: Ana Minić SRB

Arsenal WFC – FC Twente
Referee: Michalina Diakow POL
Assistant Referee 1: Aleksandra Mostowska POL
Assistant Referee 2: Katarzyna Wojs POL
Fourth Official: Miriama Bočková SVK
VAR: Pawel Malec POL
AVAR: Kornel Paszkiewicz POL
Referee Observer: Anja Kunick GER

Paris St. Germain – OH Leuven
Referee: Olatz Rivera Olmedo ESP
Assistant Referee 1: Iragartze Fernández Esesúmaga ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Rita Cabañero Mompó ESP
Fourth Official: Elisabeth Calvo Valentín ESP
VAR: Valentín Pizarro Gómez ESP
AVAR: Judit Romano García ESP
Referee Observer: Elke Günther GER

Real Madrid – VfL Wolfsburg
Referee: Kirsty Dowle ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Sophie Dennington ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Georgia Ball ENG
Fourth Official: Emily Heaslip ENG
VAR: Matthew Donohue ENG
AVAR: Sian Massey-Ellis ENG
Referee Observer: Esther Staubli SUI

10 December 2025
FC Barcelona – SL Benfica
Referee: Jana Adámková CZE
Assistant Referee 1: Lucie Ratajová CZE
Assistant Referee 2: Nikol Šafránková CZE
Fourth Official: Michaela Pachtová CZE
VAR: Michèle Schmölzer SUI
AVAR: Lukas Fähndrich SUI
Referee Observer: Kirsi Heikkinen FIN

Valerenga FC – FC Paris
Referee: Fabienne Michel GER
Assistant Referee 1: Anne Uersfeld GER
Assistant Referee 2: Isabel Steinke GER
Fourth Official: Riem Hussein GER
VAR: Katrin Rafalski GER
AVAR: Pascal Müller GER
Referee Observer: Cristina Babadac ROU

Chelsea FCW – AS Roma
Referee: Ewa Augustyn POL
Assistant Referee 1: Paulina Baranowska POL
Assistant Referee 2: Julia Bukarowicz POL
Fourth Official: Anna Adamska POL
VAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
AVAR: Pawel Pskit POL
Referee Observer: Sandra Renon FRA

Manchester United – OL Lyonnes
Referee: Alina Peşu ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Daniela Constantinescu ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Anita Vad HUN
Fourth Official: Ana Terteleac ROU
VAR: Daniele Doveri ITA
AVAR: Federico La Penna ITA
Referee Observer: Esther Azzopardi MLT

Atletico de Madrid – Bayern Munchen
Referee: Maria Ferrieri Caputi ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Stefania Signorelli ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Veronica Martinelli ITA
Fourth Official: Deborah Bianchi ITA
VAR: Paolo Mazzoleni ITA
AVAR: Rosario Abisso ITA
Referee Observer: Emilia Wnuk POL

FIFA Arab Cup 2025 – Group Stage (Matches 21-24)

9 December 2025

UAE – Kuwait
Referee: Ma Ning CHN (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Zhou Fei CHN
Assistant Referee 2: Zhang Cheng CHN
Fourth Official: Espen Eskas NOR
Reserve AR: Isaak Bashevkin NOR
VAR: Jarred Gillett ENG
AVAR: Rodolpho Toski BRA

Egypt – Jordan
Referee: Ismail Elfath USA
Assistant Referee 1: Corey Parker USA
Assistant Referee 2: Kyle Atkins USA
Fourth Official: Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh NZL
Reserve AR: Edward Cook NZL
VAR: Allen Chapman USA
AVAR: Abdullah Al-Shehri KSA

Bahrain – Sudan
Referee: Juan Benitez PAR
Assistant Referee 1: Eduardo Cardozo PAR
Assistant Referee 2: Milciades Saldivar PAR
Fourth Official: Juan Calderon CRC
Reserve AR: William Arrieta CRC
VAR: Benjamin Pineda CRC
AVAR: Jumpei Iida JPN

Algeria – Iraq
Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim QAT
Assistant Referee 1: Taleb Al-Marri QAT
Assistant Referee 2: Saoud Al-Maqaleh QAT
Fourth Official: Amin Mohamed EGY
Reserve AR: Mahmoud El-Regal EGY
VAR: Sivakorn Pu-Udom THA 

AVAR: Khamis Al-Marri QAT

FIFA adds 3-minute hydration breaks in each half of all games at World Cup

FIFA says it will include three-minute hydration breaks in each half of every game at next year's World Cup, not just those played in hot weather. The referee will stop the game 22 minutes into each half for players to take drinks, regardless of the temperature, the host country — the United States, Canada or Mexico — or whether the stadium has a roof and air conditioning. The change may also be a hit with broadcasters, since it makes the game schedule more predictable. FIFA said it was first announced when the governing body's chief tournament officer for the 2026 World Cup, Manolo Zubiria, attended a meeting with broadcasters. He indicated that referees may have some flexibility if there's a stoppage shortly before the 22-minute mark for an injury. “This will be addressed on the spot with the referee,” Zubiria said.

FIFA said the move is a “streamlined and simplified version” of an earlier practice of having breaks after 30 minutes over a certain temperature threshold, once set at 32 degrees Celsius (89.6 Fahrenheit) on the wet bulb global temperature system. The change comes after heat and humidity affected players during some games at this year's Club World Cup in the U.S. At that tournament, FIFA reacted by lowering the threshold for cooling or water breaks and also placing more water and towels around the edge of the field. Heat has long been an issue at major soccer tournaments. Amid concerns ahead of the 2014 World Cup, a Brazilian court ordered FIFA to make its recommended breaks mandatory or face fines.

Source: NBC

UEFA Youth League 2025/2026 – Domestic Champions Path, Round 3 (Second Leg)

9 December 2025

PAOK Salonic – Legia Warszawa
Referee: David Dickinson SCO (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Jonathan Bell SCO
Assistant Referee 2: Calum Spence SCO
Fourth Official: Melétios Gioumatzídis GRE
Referee Observer: Stávros Tritsónis GRE

AZ Alkmaar – Aston Villa
Referee: Amine Kourgheli BLR
Assistant Referee 1: Jury Chomčanka BLR
Assistant Referee 2: Viktar Hiecikau BLR
Fourth Official: Erwin Blank NED
Referee Observer: Marinus Koopman NED

10 December 2025
FC Midtjylland – FC Koln
Referee: Matthew MacDermid SCO
Assistant Referee 1: Douglas Potter SCO
Assistant Referee 2: Ross Anderson SCO
Fourth Official: Lasse Graagaard DEN
Referee Observer: Peter Rasmussen DEN

Dinamo Tbilisi – Dynamo Minsk
Referee: Saiat Qarabaev KA
Assistant Referee 1: Aleksei Dolgih KAZ
Assistant Referee 2: Dmitrii Belogradov KAZ
Fourth Official: Sandro Nonikashvili GEO
Referee Observer: Karen Nalbandyan ARM

Real Betis – FC Porto
Referee: Simon Bourdeaud’hui BEL
Assistant Referee 1: Bryan Bijnens BEL
Assistant Referee 2: Jonas Van Dyck BEL
Referee Observer: Laurent Duhamel FRA

MŠK Žilina – Crvena Zvezda
Referee: Ben McMaster NIR
Assistant Referee 1: John Doherty NIR
Assistant Referee 2: Shane Geary NIR
Fourth Official: Michal Očenáš SVK
Referee Observer: Ferenc Székely HUN

Puskas Akademia – FCSB
Referee: Mervan Bejtullahu KOS
Assistant Referee 1: Gzim Mehmeti KOS
Assistant Referee 2: Kastriot Peci KOS
Referee Observer: Viktor Kassai HUN

FC Nantes – Maccabi Haifa
Referee: Igor Stojčevski MK
Assistant Referee 1: Kushtrim Lika MKD
Assistant Referee 2: Kristijan Džonov MKD
Referee Observer: Fredy Fautrel FRA

KRC Genk – HJK Helsinki
Referee: Bastien Dechepy FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Brice Le Tellier FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Nicolas Durand FRA
Fourth Official: Bert Verbeke BEL
Referee Observer: Sven Bindels LUX

Hibernian FC – Dynamo Kyiv
Referee: Granit Maqedonci SWE
Assistant Referee 1: Marcus Klitte SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Yng SWE
Fourth Official: Daniel McFarlane SCO
Referee Observer: Calum Murray SCO

UEFA Youth League 2025/2026 – Group Stage (Matchday 6)

9 December 2025 

Qairat FK – Olympicos Piraeus
Referee: Giorgi Avazashvili GEO (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Zaza Pipia GEO
Assistant Referee 2: Zviad Bliadze GEO
Fourth Official: Danil Gorda KAZ
Referee Observer: Pavel Salii KAZ

Bayern Munchen – Sporting CP
Referee: Daniel Higraff NOR
Assistant Referee 1: Ole Haukasen NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Erland Hareland NOR
Fourth Official: Wolfgang Haslberger GER
Referee Observer: Robert Schörgenhofer AUT

Atalanta BC – Chelsea FC
Referee: Kamal Umudlu AZE
Assistant Referee 1: Namiq Hüseynov AZE
Assistant Referee 2: Vüsal Mammadov AZE
Referee Observer: Michális Argyroú CYP

Tottenham Hotspurs – Slavia Praha
Referee: Oliver Reitala FIN
Assistant Referee 1: Olli Jantunen FIN
Assistant Referee 2: Juhani Karstila FIN
Fourth Official: Stephen Parkinson ENG
Referee Observer: Haim Yaakov ISR

PSV Eindhoven – Atletico de Madrid
Referee: Karel Rouček CZE
Assistant Referee 1: Lukáš Machač CZE
Assistant Referee 2: Petr Kotalík CZE
Fourth Official: Stan Teuben NED
Referee Observer: Cyril Zimmermann SUI

Union St. Gilloise – Olympique de Marseille
Referee: Marek Radina CZE
Assistant Referee 1: David Zoufaly CZE
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Beneš CZE
Fourth Official: Michael Allaerts BEL
Referee Observer: Jon Skjervold NOR

AS Monaco – Galatasaray
Referee: Samuel Barrott ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Alex James ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Jacob Graham ENG
Fourth Official: Hakim Ben Salem FRA
Referee Observer: Helmut Fleischer GER

Inter Milano – Liverpool FC
Referee: Joakim Östling SWE
Assistant Referee 1: Max Wilde SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Simon Kristensson SWE
Referee Observer: Antonio Damato ITA

FC Barcelona – Eintracht Frankfurt
Referee: Wojciech Myć POL
Assistant Referee 1: Bartosz Heinig POL
Assistant Referee 2: Maciej Majewski POL
Referee Observer: Joeri Van De Velde BEL

10 December 2025
SL Benfica – SSC Napoli
Referee: Klym Zabroda UKR
Assistant Referee 1: Valentin Kutsev UKR
Assistant Referee 2: Vitaliy Skoblya UKR
Referee Observer: Alan Sant MLT

Villarrreal CF – FC Copenhagen
Referee: Romain Lissorgue FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Steven Torregrossa FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Florian Araujo FRA
Referee Observer: David Fernández Borbalán ESP

Qarabag FK – AFC Ajax
Referee: Márton Rúsz HUN
Assistant Referee 1: Gergő Vígh-Tarsonyi HUN
Assistant Referee 2: Balázs Szalai HUN
Fourth Official: Cavid Calilov AZE
Referee Observer: Vlado Svilokos CRO

Athletic Club – Paris St. Germain
Referee: Mateo Erceg CRO
Assistant Referee 1: Alen Jakšić CRO
Assistant Referee 2: Stipe Brajković CRO
Referee Observer: Bariş Şimşek TUR

Bayer Leverkusen – Newcastle United
Referee: Jacob Karlsen DEN
Assistant Referee 1: Martin Markus DEN
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Cortzen DEN
Fourth Official: Robert Kampka GER
Referee Observer: Jonathan Lardot BEL

Club Brugge – Arsenal FC
Referee: João Gonçalves POR
Assistant Referee 1: Pedro Ribeiro POR
Assistant Referee 2: João Silva POR
Fourth Official: Matonga Simonini BEL
Referee Observer: Michal Beneš CZE

Juventus – Pafos
Referee: Emanuela Rusta ALB
Assistant Referee 1: Emigers Gançi ALB
Assistant Referee 2: Mario Shazivari ALB
Fourth Official: Andrea Calzavara ITA
Referee Observer: Neale Barry ENG

Borussia Dortmund – Bodo Glimt
Referee: Tess Olofsson SWE
Assistant Referee 1: Almira Spahic SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Runo Robertsson SWE
Fourth Official: Timo Gansloweit GER
Referee Observer: Edgar Steinborn GER

Real Madrid – Manchester City
Referee: Joonas Jaanovits EST
Assistant Referee 1: Aron Härsing EST
Assistant Referee 2: Veiko Motsnik EST
Referee Observer: Marco Fritz GER

FIFA Arab Cup 2025 – Group Stage (Matches 19-20)

8 December 2025

Morocco – Saudi Arabia
Referee: Mario Escobar GUA (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Luis Ventura GUA
Assistant Referee 2: Humberto Panjoj GUA
Fourth Official: Cristian Garay CHI
Reserve AR: Jose Retamal CHI
VAR: Antonio Garcia URU
AVAR: Fedayi San SUI

Oman – Comoros
Referee: Pierre Atcho GAB
Assistant Referee 1: Boris Ditsoga GAB
Assistant Referee 2: Styven Moutsassi CGO
Fourth Official: Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh NZL
Reserve AR: Isaac Trevis NZL
VAR: Lahlou Benbraham ALG 

AVAR: Benjamin Pineda CRC

FIFA World Cup 2026 – Candidate Referees Seminar (CONMEBOL & CONCACAF)

Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), 12-18 January 2026

CONMEBOL

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

Not retained from the pre-selected list:
1. Ivo Mendez (BOL, 1991)
2. Piero Maza (CHI, 1984)
3. John Ospina (COL, 1992)
4. Andres Rojas (COL, 1984)
5. Augusto Aragon (ECU, 1986)
6. Derlis Lopez (PAR, 1988)
7. Roberto Perez (PER, 1991)
8. Alexis Herrera (VEN, 1989)

CONCACAF
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. Cesar Ramos (MEX, 1983)
7. Katia Garcia (MEX, 1992)
8. Joseph Dickerson (USA, 1987)
9. Ismail Elfath (USA, 1982)
10. Tori Penso (USA, 1986)

Not retained from the pre-selected list:
1. Walter Lopez (GUA, 1980)
2. Oshane Nation (JAM, 1991)
3. Marco Ortiz (MEX, 1988)

FIFA Arab Cup 2025 – Group Stage (Matches 17-18)

7 December 2025

Qatar – Tunisia
Referee: Espen Eskas NOR (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Engan NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Isaak Bashevkin NOR
Fourth Official: Juan Calderon CRC
Reserve AR: Juan Mora CRC
VAR: Dennis Higler NED
AVAR: Rodolpho Toski BRA

Syria – Palestine
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf OMA
Assistant Referee 1: Abu Al-Amri OMA
Assistant Referee 2: Rashid Al-Ghaithi OMA
Fourth Official: Amin Omar EGY
Reserve AR: Ahmed Ali EGY
VAR: Abdullah Al-Shehri KSA 

AVAR: Sivakorn Pu-Udom THA

FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup Final 2025: Zambrano (VEN) & Gutierrez (ESP)

7 December 2025

Final
Portugal – Brazil
Referee 1: Oriana Zambrano VEN (photo)
Referee 2: Noelia Gutierrez Munoz ESP
Third Official: Maria Pinto ARG
Fourth Official: Florentina Kallaba KOS
Timekeeper: Reem Al-Bishi KSA

Match for Third Place
Argentina – Spain
Referee 1: Kimberly Valverde CRC
Referee 2: Alice Vevodova CZE
Third Official: Anelize Schultz BRA
Fourth Official: Valeria Palma CHI
Timekeeper: Liang Qingyun CHN

Former and current FIFA referees arrested as part of betting scandal

Prosecutors in Istanbul issued arrest warrants for dozens of players and officials in relation to a betting scandal that has shaken Turkey. The Turkish Football Federation said in October that it was investigating more than 150 referees in professional leagues for allegedly betting on soccer matches. The probe soon expanded to include players, administrators, TV commentators and others in the sport. Last month more than 100 professional players, including 25 from the top-tier league, were given temporarily bans. The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued warrants for 46 suspects. The office said that 35 had already been detained, including the chair of Ankaraspor, Antalyaspor’s vice-chair and Adana Demirspor’s former chair. In a statement, prosecutors said Baltaci, who previously played for national youth sides, had been found to have placed bets on his own team’s games. Yandas allegedly placed his bets through someone else.

Former FIFA referee and commentator Ahmet Cakar and current FIFA referee Zorbay Kucuk (photo) were also arrested, news agency DHA reported. Seven people, including Cakar and Kucuk, were arrested after “suspicious financial transactions” were found in their bank accounts. All the suspects were detained under a law to prevent disorder in sport, the statement added. The law criminalizes the manipulation of sports competitions and carries a sentence of one to three years’ imprisonment, which can be increased if the offense is connected to betting markets, involves officials or affects professional leagues. Under FIFA and UEFA regulations, players, referees and club officials are prohibited from betting on games at any level. In November, the Turkish FA suspended more than 1,000 players from competition over alleged betting infractions, after its president Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu first accused hundreds of referees of being linked to betting accounts in October. He has vowed to clean up the sport, saying he would protect it from “scandal, decay and corrupt relationships.”

Source: AP

FIFA Arab Cup 2025 – Group Stage (Matches 13-16)

6 December 2025

Kuwait – Jordan
Referee: Cristian Garay CHI (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Claudio Urrutia CHI
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Retamal CHI
Fourth Official: Piere Atcho GAB
Reserve AR: Boris Ditsoga GAB
VAR: Antonio Garcia URU
AVAR: Dennis Higler NED

Bahrain – Algeria
Referee: Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh NZL
Assistant Referee 1: Isaac Trevis NZL
Assistant Referee 2: Edward Cook NZL
Fourth Official: Ismail Elfath USA
Reserve AR: Kyle Atkins USA
VAR: Jarred Gillet ENG
AVAR: Jumpei Iida JPN

Sudan – Iraq
Referee: Adham Makhadmeh JOR
Assistant Referee 1: Mohammad Al Kalaf JOR
Assistant Referee 2: Ahmad Al Roalle JOR
Fourth Official: Ma Ning CHN
Reserve AR: Zhang Cheng CHN
VAR: Khamis Al-Marri QAT
AVAR: Allen Chapman USA

UAE – Egypt
Referee: Glenn Nyberg SWE
Assistant Referee 1: Mahbod Beigi SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Soderkvist SWE
Fourth Official: Mario Escobar GUA
Reserve AR: Humberto Panjoj GUA
VAR: Fedayi San SUI 

AVAR: Rodolpho Toski BRA

FIFA eyes referee body cams and faster offside calls for 2026 World Cup

FIFA is weighing up the introduction of new refereeing technologies and stricter timekeeping rules at the 2026 World Cup as it looks to build on trials conducted at this year's Club World Cup in the United States, senior officials said on the eve of the World Cup draw. Johannes Holzmueller, FIFA's director of innovation, said the governing body wanted to expand use of a referee body camera system and an advanced version of semi-automated offside, both tested at the Club World Cup, but first needed to secure regulatory approval. "We want to build on the success of the FIFA Club World Cup that happened this year in the U.S., where we very successfully trialled the referee body camera," Holzmueller said on a panel on Thursday. He said adding the system - branded "referee with you" - fed images into the live television feed and on to stadium giant screens to show spectators "what the referee saw in that special moment". "That's definitely something we want to bring forward," he said. "But of course... so far it was a trial. We need to get the approvals so we can bring that to the World Cup as well." Any rule changes would have to be approved by the International Football Association Board at its meeting in Wales in February.

Holzmueller said FIFA had also quietly advanced its semi-automated offside technology in the Club World Cup by sending certain offside alerts directly to assistant referees instead of only to the video assistant referee (VAR), reducing delays. "For positional offside, the information was via an audio alert directly sent to the assistant referee... and they could raise the flag," he said. "So, we had not really any longer delay for positional offside." He rejected the idea that technology was creating a new version of the sport, arguing it was instead restoring the game's traditional flow. "For us it's always a balance between what we can improve and what is the tradition of our sport," he said. "Technology can help to support the referees but also support coaches, medical staff, fans... without changing the game."

Pierluigi Collina, chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, said changes to how long goalkeepers could hold the ball, announced by IFAB last March, were aimed at speeding up play after FIFA found some keepers took up to 25 seconds. "We gave goalkeepers two seconds more... But they have to be 100% sure that once the eight seconds are finished, the referee will intervene," he said. Comparing today's officiating environment with his own World Cup experiences, Collina said the level of support and accuracy now available to match officials was "night and day".

Source: Reuters

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

1-5 December 2025

Sporting SP – AEK FC
Referee 1: Daniel Matkovic SUI (photo)
Referee 2: David Schaerli SUI
Third Official: Darko Boskovic SUI
Timekeeper: Emilie Aubry SUI
Referee Observer: Šarunas Tamulynas LTU

Etoile Lavalloise – Hjorring
Referee 1: George Jansizian SWE
Referee 2: David Glavonjic SWE
Third Official: Ademir Avdic SWE
Timekeeper: Kastriot Gerxhaliu SWE
Referee Observer: Talal Darawshe ISR

Cartagena Costa Calida – Luxol St. Andrews
Referee 1: Jiri Bergs BEL
Referee 2: Juan Boelen BEL
Third Official: Amine El Hilali BEL
Timekeeper: Stijn Lehembre BEL
Referee Observer: Bogdan Sorescu ROU

Kairat Almaty – Sporting Anderlecht
Referee 1: Juan Cordero Gallardo ESP
Referee 2: Pablo Delgado Sastre ESP
Third Official: Javier Moreno Reina ESP
Timekeeper: Sara Gutiérrez Echeverría ESP
Referee Observer: Ainar Kuusk EST

Riga – Prishtina
Referee 1: Lars van Leeuwen NED
Referee 2: Ibrahim El Jilali NED
Third Official: Joern Te Kloeze NED
Timekeeper: Jacob Van Dijke NED
Referee Observer: Vyacheslav Daragan UKR

Benfica – Araz
Referee 1: Petar Radojcic SRB
Referee 2: Nikola Rabrenović SRB
Third Official: Jasmina Mickoska SRB
Timekeeper: Srdjan Mihajlovic SRB
Referee Observer: Swen Eichler GER

Piast Gliwice – Semey
Referee 1: Denys Kutsyi UKR
Referee 2: Yevhen Hordiienko UKR
Third Official: Orest Dutsiak UKR
Timekeeper: Sviatoslav Kliuchnyk UKR
Referee Observer: Romuald Bourgois FRA

AE Palma – FC Hit
Referee 1: Vlad Ciobanu ROU
Referee 2: Bogdan Hanceariuc ROU
Third Official: Liviu Chita ROU
Timekeeper: Laurentiu Deaconu ROU
Referee Observer: Alessandro Malfer ITA

Former FIFA referee Benn loses unfair dismissal case

Lisa Benn, a 34-year-old official, claimed that she was 'physically manhandled and threatened' by former Premier League assistant referee and PGMOL coach Steve Child at a tournament in 2023 arranged to offer female referees video assistant referee (VAR) experience. However, an employment tribunal judgment found that Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) acted reasonably when it dismissed Lisa Benn after she lost her place on a FIFA officiating list. In a 32-page ruling, the tribunal panel also rejected an allegation of unfair dismissal but accepted a claim for breach of contract relating to a right to pay in lieu of notice. Claims for direct sex discrimination and unlawful deduction from wages were withdrawn before the ruling, which followed evidence heard by a panel sitting in south London last month.

Ms. Benn, 34, claimed she was grabbed by the arm and 'forcefully' pushed onto a pitch by Mr Child before the kick-off of a training camp match in Loughborough, Leicestershire, in March 2023. She also claimed that she had lost her position as a FIFA referee because she complained about his behaviour. The Women's Super League (WSL) official alleged Mr. Child, a former Premier League assistant referee, would not have acted in that way if she was a man. Dismissing a claim for harassment related to her sex, the panel accepted that a form of physical contact between Mr. Child and Ms. Benn 'did have the effect of creating an intimidating environment' for her. But the ruling said it was 'likely that Mr. Child would have done exactly the same with a male referee in the same circumstance, namely where he was frustrated by a referee who he considered was "going slow" to start a game that had been delayed and who had told him to "chill".' The judgment added: 'The majority (of the three-member panel) considered it relevant that on the claimant's own evidence, Mr. Child had previously shouted at mixed groups of officials. There were no facts from which the majority felt it appropriate to draw an inference that this incident was related to sex.' The tribunal was told that at the end of the training camp match, there was a brawl between the two sides, with Ms. Benn claiming that Mr. Child subsequently told her she was bloody-minded and that her card was marked. The panel said it had unanimously concluded that Mr. Child did tell the claimant that she was bloody-minded but ruled that he had not said her card was marked. The ruling added: 'The tribunal unanimously agreed both that the claimant subjectively felt an intimidating atmosphere had been created by the exchange and that, given the anger expressed by Mr. Child, this was reasonable in all the circumstances of the case. The majority did not consider that Mr. Child acted as he did because of the claimant's sex or that his actions were otherwise related to the claimant's sex but were rather the result of his frustration at the claimant's handling of the match, which Mr. Child considered had contributed to the brawl.'

Explaining its reasons for dismissing the claim for unfair dismissal, the panel said Ms. Benn's relatively lower rating compared to five other referees was the main reason for her 'dropping off' the FIFA list. The panel stated: 'The decision to remove the claimant from the FIFA list was made by FIFA in not accepting the sixth nominated referee and the consequence of that was the termination of the claimant's employment. In circumstances where the employment was entered into with the express condition that removal from the FIFA list would result in dismissal, and the main reason for the claimant dropping off the FIFA list was her relative performance. Our conclusion is that the employer was acting within the band of reasonable responses in dismissing the claimant in the circumstances of this case.' Upholding the claim for breach of contract, the panel said it was 'well founded and succeeds in respect of damages arising from payment in lieu of basic salary only during the period of notice.' A notice will be sent out shortly confirming the date of a hearing to decide on a remedy for breach of contract, the panel said. The tribunal was told nominations for the FIFA list are made by the referee's committee of the Football Association, which includes PGMOL staff. In women's football, appointment to the FIFA list entitles a referee to become an employee of PGMOL. Ms. Benn was employed by PGMOL from January 2022, with a clause in her contract saying that her employment was conditional on being included in the FIFA list. In March 2022, Ms. Benn was appointed to referee the Women's League Cup Final and took charge of her first international fixture in the same month. But in August 2023, a meeting to determine nominations for the FIFA list ranked Ms. Benn sixth, with only five higher nominees being accepted by the global governing body. The panel which ruled on the claims said it did 'not consider that performance management or warning was required in this case given the claimant was not a poor performer and was well aware that inclusion on the FIFA list was the result of competition with other high-performing referees'.

Source: Daily Mail

FIFA Arab Cup 2025 – Group Stage (Matches 11-12)

5 December 2025

Oman – Morocco
Referee: Juan Benitez PAR (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Eduardo Cardozo PAR
Assistant Referee 2: Milciades Saldivar PAR
Fourth Official: Espen Eskas NOR
Reserve AR: Jan Engan NOR
VAR: Rodolpho Toski BRA
AVAR: Sivakorn Pu-Udom THA

Comoros – Saudi Arabia
Referee: Juan Calderon CRC
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Mora CRC
Assistant Referee 2: William Arrieta CRC
Fourth Official: Amin Omar EGY
Reserve AR: Mahmoud El-Regal EGY
VAR: Benjamin Pineda CRC
AVAR: Lahlou Benbraham ALG

FIFA Arab Cup 2025 – Group Stage (Matches 9-10)

4 December 2025

Palestine – Tunisia
Referee: Ismail Elfath USA (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Corey Parker USA
Assistant Referee 2: Kyle Atkins USA
Fourth Official: Ma Ning CHN
Reserve AR: Zhou Fei CHN
VAR: Allen Chapman USA
AVAR: Abdullah Al-Shehri KSA

Syria – Qatar
Referee: Mario Escobar GUA
Assistant Referee 1: Luis Ventura GUA
Assistant Referee 2: Humberto Panjoj GUA
Fourth Official: Cristian Garay CHI
Reserve AR: Jose Retamal CHI
VAR: Antonio Garcia URU
AVAR: Dennis Higler NED

FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup 2025 – Semi-finals

5 December 2025

Argentina – Portugal
Referee 1: Tayana Moreno VEN (photo)
Referee 2: Mariia Myslovska UKR
Third Official: Noelia Gutierrez Munoz ESP
Fourth Official: Kimberly Valverde CRC
Timekeeper: Gelareh Nazemi IRN

Spain – Brazil
Referee 1: Valeria Palma CHI
Referee 2: Martina Piccolo ITA
Third Official: Oriana Zambrano VEN
Fourth Official: Alice Vevodova CZE
Timekeeper: Zari Fathi IRN

FIFA Arab Cup 2025 – Group Stage (Matches 6-8)

3 December 2025

Algeria – Sudan
Referee: Amin Omar EGY (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mahmoud El-Regal EGY
Assistant Referee 2: Ahmed Ali EGY
Fourth Official: Cristian Garay CHI
Reserve AR: Claudio Urrutia CHI
VAR: Fedayi San SUI
AVAR: Rodolpho Toski BRA

Iraq – Bahrain
Referee: Pierre Atcho GAB
Assistant Referee 1: Boris Ditsoga GAB
Assistant Referee 2: Styven Moutsassi CGO
Fourth Official: Glenn Nyberg SWE
Reserve AR: Mahbod Beigi SWE
VAR: Abdullah Al-Shehri KSA
AVAR: Khamis Al-Marri QAT

Jordan – UAE
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf OMA
Assistant Referee 1: Abu Al-Amri OMA
Assistant Referee 2: Rashid Al-Ghaithi OMA
Fourth Official: Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh NZL
Reserve AR: Edward Cook NZL
VAR: Lahlou Benbraham ALG 

AVAR: Jarred Gillett ENG

FIFA set to use VAR for corner kicks at World Cup

FIFA is set to press ahead with plans to have VAR checks on the awarding of corner kicks at the 2026 World Cup despite domestic leagues rejecting the idea for the wider game. At an October meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) - which determines the Laws of the Game - there was agreement that VAR could be expanded to cover incorrectly shown second yellow cards that lead to a red. But FIFA's proposal to review corners was rejected, meaning world football's governing body will need to effectively create a trial to use it in the United States, Mexico and Canada next summer. The measures will be discussed further at the next IFAB meeting in January, but FIFA has regularly applied trials to its competitions. Semi-automated offside technology and referees announcing VAR decisions to the crowd are two examples, and it could use the same mechanism to start reviewing corners.

Pierluigi Collina, FIFA's head of referees, has been a supporter of the change as part of a wider review of VAR protocol. Collina is open to going further, too, believing that any error that can quickly be identified by the VAR could potentially be communicated. The former referee has highlighted an incident in the Euro 2016 final, when Portugal was wrongly awarded a free kick in extra time for handball on the edge of the area that almost led to a goal. Using video assistant referee checks to rule on corners will not hold up matches, says FIFA's head of referees Pierluigi Collina. "The main criteria is no delay. With corners, there is a physiological delay because when a corner is given, normally you wait until the two centre-backs come up," Collina said at a briefing in Washington DC on Thursday when asked about potential delays. "It normally takes 10-15 seconds to get the attackers ready. In these 10-15 seconds, if the corner kick is wrongly given, everybody has the evidence that the start of play is wrong and to me, it's difficult to understand if they have the possibility to see that [the decision is wrong]. Why do we have to hide our heads under the sand and hope that nothing happens on the corner kick which is taken?" Collina cited the need to make correct decisions as the main reason for using VAR on corners. "I think we should all have as the objective to make correct decisions on the field of play," the former Italian referee said. "It would be a pity if the result of a competition is decided not by what the players do on the field of play, but by an honest mistake made by the decision-maker. This is what convinced us 13, 14 years ago to start thinking how to support referees [with technology]. So, if we can get this, to me, it's positive. We discuss and we will see what the outcome will be because I think the objective would be worth it." The measures will be discussed further at the next IFAB meeting. In October, IFAB already agreed that VAR could be expanded to cover incorrectly shown second yellow cards that lead to a red.

Source: BBC

FIFA Arab Cup 2025 – Group Stage (Matches 3-5)

2 December 2025

Morocco – Comoros

Referee: Ma Ning CHN (photo)

Assistant Referee 1: Zhou Fei CHN
Assistant Referee 2: Zhang Cheng CHN
Fourth Official: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim QAT
Reserve AR: Taleb Al-Marri QAT
VAR: Jumpei Iida JPN
AVAR: Khamis Al-Marri QAT

Egypt – Kuwait
Referee: Espen Eskas NOR
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Engan NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Isaak Bashevkin NOR
Fourth Official: Ismail Elfath USA
Reserve AR: Corey Parker USA
VAR: Dennis Higler NED
AVAR: Antonio Garcia URU

Saudi Arabia – Oman
Referee: Adham Makhadmeh JOR
Assistant Referee 1: Mohammad Al-Kalaf JOR
Assistant Referee 2: Ahmad Al-Roalle JOR
Fourth Official: Juan Benitez PAR
Reserve AR: Eduardo Cardozo PAR
VAR: Sivakorn Pu-Udom THA
AVAR: Allen Chapman USA

UEFA Women’s Nations League Final 2025/26 (Second Leg)

2 December 2025

Final
Spain – Germany
Referee: Silvia Gasperotti ITA (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Giulia Tempestilli ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Stefania Signorelli ITA
Fourth Official: Frida Klarlund DEN
VAR: Aleandro Di Paolo ITA
AVAR: Michael Fabbri ITA
Referee Observer: Dagmar Damkova CZE

Match for Third Place
Sweden – France
Referee: Marta Huerta De Aza ESP
Assistant Referee 1: Guadalupe Porras Ayuso ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Eliana Fernandez Gonzalez ESP
Fourth Official: Olatz Rivera Olmedo ESP
VAR: Valentin Pizarro Gomez ESP
AVAR: Judit Romano Garcia ESP
Referee Observer: Silvia Spinelli ITA

FIFA Arab Cup 2025 – Group Stage (Matches 1-2)

1 December 2025

Tunisia – Syria
Referee: Juan Calderon CRC (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Mora CRC
Assistant Referee 2: William Arrieta CRC
Fourth Official: Mario Escobar GUA
Reserve AR: Luis Ventura GUA
VAR: Benjamin Pineda CRC
AVAR: Fedayi San SUI

Qatar – Palestine
Referee: Glenn Nyberg SWE
Assistant Referee 1: Mahbod Beigi SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Söderkvist SWE
Fourth Official: Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh NZL
Reserve AR: Isaac Travis NZL
VAR: Jarred Gillett ENG
AVAR: Lahlou Benbraham ALG

Former UEFA Champions League final referee sent off by current Spanish FIFA referee

Getafe’s LaLiga victory over Elche produced one of the quirkiest stories of the matchday - and arguably the season. In the closing stages of the Week 14 clash at the Estadio Coliseum, referee Alejandro Hernández Hernández brandished a red card in the direction of the Getafe bench. At first glance, the recipient seemed to be José Bordalás, Los Azulones’ ever-fiery head coach. Bordalás even protested the decision as if it were aimed squarely at him. However, Hernández Hernández’s official match report revealed a surprising twist: the man sent off was a familiar face in officiating circles - Manuel Mejuto González, a former top-flight referee and now Getafe’s matchday delegate. “In the 90th minute, delegate Mejuto González, Manuel Enrique, was dismissed for the following reason,” reads the referee’s report documenting the incident. “As the person responsible for the stadium’s ball boys, he was held accountable for their behavior during the second half, which caused several delays in restarting play.”

Mejuto González, considered one of the best referees in Spanish football, ended his career in 2010 after officiating the Copa del Rey final on May 19, played between Atlético de Madrid and Sevilla, which Sevilla won thanks to goals from Diego Capel and Jesús Navas. An international referee since 1999, he participated in two European Championships and the legendary Champions League final in which Liverpool came back from 0-3 against AC Milan before winning on penalties.

Source: as

FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup 2025 – Quarter-finals

1 December 2025

Argentina – Colombia
Referee 1: Mariia Myslovska UKR (photo)
Referee 2: Noelia Gutierrez Munoz ESP
Third Official: Monica Czudzinowicz POL
Fourth Official: Florentina Kallaba KOS
Timekeeper: Alice Vevodova CZE

Spain – Morocco
Referee 1: Zari Fathi IRN
Referee 2: Gelareh Nazemi IRN
Third Official: Liang Qingyun CHN
Fourth Official: Reem Al-Bishi KSA
Timekeeper: Panadda Khotsenaphattra THA

2 December 2025
Portugal – Italy
Referee 1: Oriana Zambrano VEN
Referee 2: Tayana Moreno VEN
Third Official: Anelize Schultz BRA
Fourth Official: Maria Caceres PAR
Timekeeper: Valeria Palma CHI

Brazil – Japan
Referee 1: Kimberly Valverde CRC
Referee 2: Krystin Pahia USA
Third Official: Marijana Orešić CRO
Fourth Official: Filipa Prata POR 

Timekeeper: Martina Piccolo ITA

Referee dishes out 17 red cards in a Copa Bolivia mass brawl

A Copa Bolivia quarter-final between Club Blooming and Real Oruro descended into chaos, with the referee dishing out a staggering 17 red cards, including 16 following a massive brawl that required police intervention with pepper spray.

The fracas began with what Bolivian outlet El Potosi described as a scuffle involving some Blooming players and Oruro's Sebastian Zeballos and Julio Vila. The altercation quickly spiralled as punches and kicks broke out in a frenzy, with both clubs' staff, including Oruro coach Marcelo Robledo, also getting involved. Oruro posted a picture on Instagram showing Robledo in hospital after Tuesday's brawl, which resulted in four of their players receiving red cards. 

Blooming fared even worse in the disciplinary stakes, with seven players sent off – six of those red cards coming after the brawl. The other six red cards were given to the teams' backroom staff, including the Oruro coach. Blooming shared an Instagram video saying a member of their security staff had undergone surgery for a fractured cheekbone sustained during the violence. Blooming advanced to the semi-finals after winning the tie 4-3 on aggregate, having taken a 2-1 advantage from the first leg. They will now face Club Bolivar, last year's Bolivian top-flight champions, in the semi-finals.

Source: Flashscore

CAF Confederation Cup 2025/2026 – Group Stage (Matchday 2)

28-30 November 2025

Olympic Safi – USM Alger
Referee: Mohamed Maarouf EGY (photo)

Azam – Wydad AC
Referee: Antoine Effa CMR

AS Otoho – CR Belouizdad
Referee: Celso Alvacao MOZ

Zesco United – Al Masry
Referee: Andre Kolissala CTA

Kaizer Chiefs – Zamalek
Referee: Samuel Uwikunda RWA

San Pedro – Djoliba
Referee: Brighton Chimene ZIM

Nairobi United – Maniema Union
Referee: Aklesso Gnama TOG

Singida Black Stars – Stellenbosch
Referee: Lamin Jammeh GAM

CAF Champions League 2025/2026 – Group Stage (Matchday 2)

28-30 November 2025

Rivers United – RS Berkane
Referee: Issa Sy SEN (photo)

AS FAR – Al Ahly
Referee: Ahmed Abdulrazg LBY

JS Kabylie – Young Africans
Referee: Ahmad Heeralall MRI

MC Alger – Mamelodi Sundowns
Referee: Jean Ouattara BFA

Petro de Luanda – Esperance de Tunis
Referee: Jean Ndala COD

Power Dynamos – Pyramids
Referee: Omar Artan SOM

St. Eloi Lupopo – Al Hilal
Referee: Dahane Beida MTN

Stade Malien – Simba
Referee: Andofetra Rakotojaona MAD

FIFA Women’s Champions Cup 2025 – Round 2

14 December 2025

AS FAR – Wuhan Jiangda
Referee: Ivana Martincic CRO (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Sanja Rodjak-Karsic CRO
Assistant Referee 2: Stasa Spur SVN
Fourth Official: Ivana Projkovska MKD
VAR: Ovidiu Hategan ROU
AVAR: Jelena Cvetković SRB

FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup 2025 – Group Stage (Matches 21-24)

29 November 2025

Tanzania – Japan
Referee 1: Yeraldin Araya CRC (photo)
Referee 2: Yendis Montalvo COL
Third Official: Kimberly Valverde CRC
Fourth Official: Krystin Pahia USA
Timekeeper: Maria Caceres PAR

New Zealand – Portugal
Referee 1: Panadda Khotsenaphattra THA
Referee 2: Liang Qingyun CHN
Third Official: Mariia Myslovska UKR
Fourth Official: Zari Fathi IRN
Timekeeper: Gelareh Nazemi IRN

Iran – Italy
Referee 1: Maria Pinto ARG
Referee 2: Valeria Palma CHI
Third Official: Tayana Moreno VEN
Fourth Official: Filipa Prata POR
Timekeeper: Oriana Zambrano VEN

Panama – Brazil
Referee 1: Kana Saito JPN
Referee 2: Mari Yamamoto JPN
Third Official: Zhu Xin CHN
Fourth Official: Nurul Janah MAS
Timekeeper: Reem Al-Bishi KSA

UEFA Women’s Nations League Final 2025/26 (First Leg)

28 November 2025

Final
Germany – Spain
Referee: Iuliana Demetrescu ROU (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mihaela Tepusa ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Roxana Ivanov ROU
Fourth Official: Ivana Martinčić CRO
VAR: Cătălin Popa ROU
AVAR: Ovidiu Haţegan ROU
Referee Observer: Dagmar Damková CZE

Match for Third place
France – Sweden
Referee: Désirée Blanco SUI
Assistant Referee 1: Linda Schmid SUI
Assistant Referee 2: Amina Gutschi AUT
Fourth Official: Sven Wolfensberger SUI
VAR: Katalin Kulcsár HUN
AVAR: Michèle Schmölzer SUI
Referee Observer: Teodora Albon ROU

FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup 2025 – Group Stage (Matches 19-20)

28 November 2025

Thailand – Colombia
Referee 1: Marijana Oresic CRO (photo)
Referee 2: Martina Piccolo ITA
Third Official: Florentina Kallaba KOS
Fourth Official: Alice Vevedova CZE
Timekeeper: Monica Czudzinowicz POL

Canada – Spain
Referee 1: Nurul Janah MAS
Referee 2: Reem Al-Bishi KSA
Third Official: Panadda Khotsenaphattra THA
Fourth Official: Zhu Xin CHN
Timekeeper: Mari Yamamoto JPN

CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2025

Morocco, 21 December 2025 - 18 January 2026

Referees

1. Youcef Gamouh ALG
2. Mustapha Ghorbal ALG (photo)
3. Louis Houngnandande BEN
4. Pacifique Ndabihawenimana BDI
5. Abdou Mefire CMR
6. Mahamat Allaou CHA
7. Jean Ndala COD
8. Jessie Messie CGO
9. Clement Kpan CIV
10. Mohamed Maarouf EGY
11. Amin Omar EGY
12. Pierre Atcho GAB
13. Patrice Tanguy GAB
14. Daniel Laryea GHA
15. Peter Waweru KEN
16. Boubou Traore MLI
17. Dahane Beida MTN
18. Abdel-Aziz Bouh MTN
19. Ahmad Heeralall MRI
20. Jalal Jayed MAR
21. Mustapha Kech MAR
22. Samuel Uwikunda RWA
23. Issa Sy SEN
24. Omar Artan SOM
25. Abongile Tom RSA
26. Mahmoud Ismail SDN
27. Mehrez Melki TUN
28. Shamirah Nabbadda UGA

Assistant Referees
1. Adel Abane ALG
2. Abbes Zerhuouni ALG
3. Jerson Dos Santos ANG
4. Ivanildo Lopes ANG
5. Eric Ayimavo BEN
6. Elvis Noupue CMR
7. Steven Moutsassi CGO
8. Yanes Malondi CGO
9. Guylain Nguila COD
10. Gradel Mbilizi COD
11. Liban Abdourazak DJI
12. Mahmoud El-Regal EGY
13. Ahmed Hossam EGY
14. Amos Abeigne GAB
15. Boris Ditsoga GAB
16. Gilbert Cheruiyot KEN
17. Stephen Yiembe KEN
18. Souru Phatsoane LES
19. Dimbiaina Andriatianarivelo MAD
20. Modibo Samake MLI
21. Mostafa Akarkad MAR
22. Zakaria Brinsi MAR
23. Arsenio Marengula MOZ
24. Abelmiro Dos Reis STP
25. Nouha Bangoura SEN
26. Zakhele Siwela RSA
27. Mohammed Ibrahim SDN
28. Koffi Ahonto TOG
29. Khalil Hassani TUN
30. Carine Atezambong CMR
31. Diana Chikotesha ZAM

Video Match Officials
1. Lahlou Benbraham ALG
2. Mahmoud Ashour EGY
3. Hossam Hagag EGY
4. Mimisa Dickens KEN
5. Ahmed Abdulrazg LBY
6. Babacar Sarr MTN
7. Hamza El Fariq MAR
8. Sadou Brahamou NIG
9. Djibril Camara SEN
10. Abdalaziz Yasir SDN
11. Haythem Guirat TUN
12. Chimene Brighton ZIM
13. Letticia Viana ESW
14. Maria Rivet MRI