FIFA Arab Cup Final 2025: Nyberg (SWE)

18 December 2025

Final
Jordan – Morocco
Referee: Glenn Nyberg SWE (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mahbod Beigi SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Söderkvist SWE
Fourth Official: Ma Ning CHN
Reserve AR: Zhou Fei CHN
VAR: Fedayi San SUI
AVAR: Khamis Al-Marri QAT
SVAR: Abdullah Al-Shehri KSA

Match for Third Place
Saudi Arabia – UAE
Referee: Cristian Garay CHI
Assistant Referee 1: Claudio Urrutia CHI
Assistant Referee 2: Jose Retamal CHI
Fourth Official: Pierre Atcho GAB
Reserve AR: Boris Ditsoga GAB
VAR: Rodolpho Toski BRA
AVAR: Benjamin Pineda CRC
SVAR: Sivakorn Pu-Udom THA

UEFA Europa Conference League 2025/26 – Group Stage (Matchday 6)

18 December 2025

Omonia Nicosia – Rakow Czestochowa
Referee: Sandro Schärer SUI (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Jonas Erni SUI
Assistant Referee 2: Nicolas Tuberosa SUI
Fourth Official: Johannes von Mandach SUI
VAR: Lukas Fähndrich SUI
AVAR: Mirel Turkes SUI
Referee Observer: Jan Wegereef NED

Shakhtar Donetsk – HNK Rijeka
Referee: Anthony Taylor ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Adam Nunn ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Lee Betts ENG
Fourth Official: Thomas Bramall ENG
VAR: Michael Salisbury ENG
AVAR: Matthew Donohue ENG
Referee Observer: Albano Janku ALB

AZ Alkmaar – Jagiellonia Bialystok
Referee: Stefan Ebner AUT
Assistant Referee 1: Robert Steinacher AUT
Assistant Referee 2: Martin Höfler AUT
Fourth Official: Alexander Harkam AUT
VAR: Christian Ciochirca AUT
AVAR: Julian Weinberger AUT
Referee Observer: Karen Nalbandyan ARM

Slovan Bratislava – BK Hacken
Referee: Florian Lata ALB
Assistant Referee 1: Ilir Tartaraj ALB
Assistant Referee 2: Erind Burgu ALB
Fourth Official: Enea Jorgji ALB
VAR: Kreshnik Bajramaj ALB
AVAR: Kreshnik Cjapi ALB
Referee Observer: Leslie Irvine NIR

Legia Warszawa – Lincoln Red Imps
Referee: Danilo Nikolić SRB
Assistant Referee 1: Miloš Simović SRB
Assistant Referee 2: Svetozar Živin SRB
Fourth Official: Nikola Radaković SRB
VAR: Aleksandar Živković SRB
AVAR: Pavle Tomić SRB
Referee Observer: Svein Oddvar Moen NOR

Sparta Praha – Aberdeen FC
Referee: David Šmajc SVN
Assistant Referee 1: David Gabrovec SVN
Assistant Referee 2: Tomaž Černe SVN
Fourth Official: Denis Šabanagić SVN
VAR: Asmir Sagrković SVN
AVAR: Mihael Antič SVN
Referee Observer: Babak Quliyev AZE

Dynamo Kyiv – Noa FA
Referee: Juxhin Xhaja ALB
Assistant Referee 1: Arbër Zalla ALB
Assistant Referee 2: Rejdi Avdo ALB
Fourth Official: Olsion Yzeiraj ALB
VAR: Jeroen Manschot NED
AVAR: Albert Doda ALB
Referee Observer: Jon Skjervold NOR

Crystal Palace – Kups Kuopio
Referee: Yigal Frid ISR
Assistant Referee 1: Rostislav Talis ISR
Assistant Referee 2: Tuval Koltunoff ISR
Fourth Official: David Fuxman ISR
VAR: Daniel Natan ISR
AVAR: Shalom Avraham ISR
Referee Observer: Stefan Johannesson SWE

Rayo Vallecano – FC Drita
Referee: Urs Schnyder SUI
Assistant Referee 1: Marco Zürcher SUI
Assistant Referee 2: Benjamin Zürcher SUI
Fourth Official: Sven Wolfensberger SUI
VAR: Luca Cibelli SUI
AVAR: Anojen Kanagasingam SUI
Referee Observer: Pawel Gil POL

Shamrock Rovers – Hamrun Spartans
Referee: Marek Radina CZE
Assistant Referee 1: Kamil Hájek CZE
Assistant Referee 2: Lukáš Machač CZE
Fourth Official: Jan Všetečka CZE
VAR: Miroslav Zelinka CZE
AVAR: Pavel Orel CZE
Referee Observer: Domagoj Vučkov CRO

FSV Mainz – Samsunspor
Referee: Mohammad Al-Emara FIN
Assistant Referee 1: Turkka Valjakka FIN
Assistant Referee 2: Mika Lamppu FIN
Fourth Official: Peiman Simani FIN
VAR: Clay Ruperti NED
AVAR: Edwin van de Graaf NED
Referee Observer: David Malcolm NIR

RC Strasbourg – Breidablik
Referee: Ondřej Berka CZE
Assistant Referee 1: Ivo Nádvorník CZE
Assistant Referee 2: Matěj Vlček CZE
Fourth Official: Ondřej Pechanec CZE
VAR: Tomáš Kocourek CZE
AVAR: Jana Adámková CZE
Referee Observer: Ichko Lozev BUL

NK Celje – Shelbourne FC
Referee: Sandi Putros DEN
Assistant Referee 1: Deniz Yurdakul DEN
Assistant Referee 2: Steffen Bramsen DEN
Fourth Official: Jacob Karlsen DEN
VAR: Jakob Kehlet DEN
AVAR: Lasse Graagaard DEN
Referee Observer: Michaíl Koukoulákis GRE

Zrinjski Mostar – Rapid Wien
Referee: Ishmael Barbara MLT
Assistant Referee 1: Luke Portelli MLT
Assistant Referee 2: Duncan Sultana MLT
Fourth Official: Philip Farrugia MLT
VAR: Michael Fabbri ITA
AVAR: Daniele Paterna ITA
Referee Observer: Helmut Fleischer GER

AEK Athens – Universitatea Craiova
Referee: Giorgi Kruashvili GEO
Assistant Referee 1: Levan Varamishvili GEO
Assistant Referee 2: Giorgi Elikashvili GEO
Fourth Official: Giorgi Avazashvili GEO
VAR: Sören Storks GER
AVAR: Aleko Aptsiauri GEO
Referee Observer: Elmir Pilav BIH

Sigma Olomouc – Lech Poznan
Referee: Patrik Kolarić CRO
Assistant Referee 1: Luka Pajić CRO
Assistant Referee 2: Ivan Starčević CRO
Fourth Official: Ante Terzić CRO
VAR: Fran Jović CRO
AVAR: Ante Čuljak CRO
Referee Observer: John Ward IRL

AEK Larnaca – KF Shkendija
Referee: Manfredas Lukjančukas LTU
Assistant Referee 1: Mangirdas Mirauskas LTU
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksandras Stepanovas LTU
Fourth Official: Vilius Paulauskas LTU
VAR: Donatas Šimėnas LTU
AVAR: Orestas Abramavičius LTU
Referee Observer: Marián Ružbarský SVK

Lausanne Sport – AC Fiorentina
Referee: Lothar D’Hondt BEL
Assistant Referee 1: Romain Devillers BEL
Assistant Referee 2: Nico Claes BEL
Fourth Official: Wesli De Cremer BEL
VAR: Jan Boterberg BEL
AVAR: Bert Put BEL 

Referee Observer: Dejan Filipović SRB

FIFA Intercontinental Cup Final 2025: Elfath (USA)

17 December 2025

Paris St. Germain – Flamengo
Referee: Ismail Elfath USA (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Corey Parker USA
Assistant Referee 2: Kyle Atkins USA
Fourth Official: Amin Omar EGY
Reserve AR: Mahmoud El-Regal EGY
VAR: Allen Chapman USA
AVAR: Jarred Gillet ENG
SVAR: Antonio Garcia URU

Algerian referee Gamouh forced to withdraw from AFCON 2025

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has been dealt a major setback ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations following the withdrawal of one of the continent’s top referees. With just one week to the kickoff of the tournament in Morocco, Algerian referee Youcef Gamouh has been forced to pull out of the competition despite being named among the central referees selected to officiate at the championship. The 38-year-old official is widely regarded as one of Africa’s best-ranked referees and was expected to play a key role during the tournament. His profile was further enhanced recently after FIFA appointed him to officiate at the FIFA U-20 World Cup held in Chile between September and October, a move that underlined his growing reputation on the global stage. Gamouh’s inclusion at the U-20 World Cup had boosted expectations that he would be one of the most prominent referees at the Africa Cup of Nations. However, those hopes have now been dashed.

According to an official statement from the Algerian Football Federation, Youcef Gamouh is ultimately unavailable due to medical reasons. Without going into detail, the FAF sent him a message wishing him a speedy recovery on Saturday, confirming his absence from the continent’s premier tournament.

Source: BSN

UEFA Women’s Champions League 2025/26 – Group Stage (Matchday 6)

17 December 2025

Juventus FC – Manchester United
Referee: Marta Huerta De Aza ESP (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Guadalupe Porras Ayuso ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Eliana Fernández González ESP
Fourth Official: Ainara Acevedo Dudley ESP
VAR: Javier Iglesias Villanueva ESP
AVAR: Judit Romano Garcia ESP
Referee Observer: Bente Skogvang NOR

OL Lyonnes – Atletico de Madrid
Referee: Ivana Projkovska MKD
Assistant Referee 1: Elena Soklevska-Ilievski MKD
Assistant Referee 2: Staša Špur SVN
Fourth Official: Aleksandra Česen SVN
VAR: Mario Zebec CRO
AVAR: Jelena Cvetković SRB
Referee Observer: Gyöngyi Gaál HUN

Bayern Munchen – Valerenga FC
Referee: Désirée Blanco SUI
Assistant Referee 1: Linda Schmid SUI
Assistant Referee 2: Melissa Dos Santos SUI
Fourth Official: Laura Mauricio SUI
VAR: Michèle Schmölzer SUI
AVAR: Lionel Tschudi SUI
Referee Observer: Ivana Vlaić BIH

VfL Wolfsburg – Chelsea FCW
Referee: Silvia Gasperotti ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Giulia Tempestilli ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Stefania Signorelli ITA
Fourth Official: Maria Marotta ITA
VAR: Valerio Marini ITA
AVAR: Rosario Abisso ITA
Referee Observer: Regina Konink-Belksma NED

SL Benfica – Paris St. Germain
Referee: Hristiyana Guteva BUL
Assistant Referee 1: Svitlana Grushko UKR
Assistant Referee 2: Pavleta Rashkova BUL
Fourth Official: Georgi Ginchev BUL
VAR: Nikola Popov BUL
AVAR: Radoslav Gidzhenov BUL
Referee Observer: Sharon Sluyts BEL

AS Roma – SKN St. Polten
Referee: Frida Klarlund DEN
Assistant Referee 1: Fie Bruun DEN
Assistant Referee 2: Katrine Stensholm DEN
Fourth Official: Frederikke Sokjaer DEN
VAR: Jonas Hansen DEN
AVAR: Mads Kristoffersen DEN
Referee Observer: Caroline De Boeck BEL

FC Twente – Real Madrid
Referee: Lotta Vuorio FIN
Assistant Referee 1: Heini Hyvönen FIN
Assistant Referee 2: Taru Tiensuu FIN
Fourth Official: Lina Lehtovaara FIN
VAR: Katrin Rafalski GER
AVAR: Robert Schröder GER
Referee Observer: Sofia Karagiorgi CYP

Paris FC – FC Barcelona
Referee: Iuliana Demetrescu ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Mihaela Tepusa ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Bianca Florea ROU
Fourth Official: Ana Terteleac ROU
VAR: Ovidiu Haţegan ROU
AVAR: Cristina Trandafir ROU
Referee Observer: Marta Atzori ITA

OH Leuven – Arsenal WFC
Referee: Rasa Grigone LTU
Assistant Referee 1: Irina Pozdejeva LTU
Assistant Referee 2: Tilde Larsson SWE
Fourth Official: Tess Olofsson SWE
VAR: Tamás Bognár HUN
AVAR: Katalin Kulcsár HUN
Referee Observer: Irina Mirț ROU

Female referees on Cloud Nine after FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup final

The historic FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup Philippines 2025 came to an end on Sunday with an enthralling final, which saw Brazil etch their name into the history books as the tournament’s first-ever champions after defeating Portugal 3-0 in a fiercely contested encounter. The final will also be fondly remembered by the team of officials who helped make the first-ever FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup a historic occasion. For the showpiece at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig, Venezuela’s Oriana Zambrano and Spain’s Noelia Gutiérrez took centre stage, with Maria Pinto, Florentina Kallaba and Reem Al-Bishi supporting them as Referee 3, Referee 4 and Timekeeper, respectively. For Ms Zambrano and Ms Gutiérrez, simply participating was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but being given the nod to officiate the final came was a huge honour. “Well, it came as a total surprise – I didn’t expect it,” said Ms Zambrano. “I think that when I heard my name, I blocked everything out. I had my colleague next to me and I didn’t even hear her name. We just talked, hugged each other and cried. There was a mix of emotions. I really feel very grateful and lucky to be here. It was a really exciting moment, because my colleague and I were sitting together. First, I heard her name, and I was really happy for her. And right after that, I heard my name, and it was a big surprise. I wasn’t expecting it. I’m very happy and very emotional,” added Ms Gutiérrez.

Refereeing a World Cup is the ultimate goal for any international official. As well as the emotional aspect, being chosen to take charge of the final is a well-deserved reward for a tournament-long effort. “Well, it’s a reward for all this time I’ve spent working and all these years of training and preparation. For me, it’s deeply satisfying and rewarding,” said Ms Zambrano, before Ms Gutiérrez added: “The first thing that comes to mind is the effort and all the time that I spent away from home during all these years. It’s also a moment to remember my family, who always support me, no matter where I go. When I was chosen, the first thing that came to mind was the responsibility that it entails,” said Ms Zambrano. “Not just for me, but for all my colleagues and instructors that have always been here supporting me, giving me the necessary tools and accompanying me through this journey. But it’s a huge honour and I feel proud. For me, it’s a recognition of my effort and work throughout many years. Many hours, many training sessions, lots of studying,” added Ms Gutiérrez.

The first-ever FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup, featuring an all-female officiating team, marks another historic milestone, and being given that opportunity is something both referees will remember for many years to come. “I feel like these five referees who will be in the final today are going to make history. But it’s not just the five of us who are here today – it’s all 27 referees who have been in the Philippines. Each one of us has created a little bit of history in this first FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup,” said Ms Gutiérrez. “Well, it’s a unique and unparalleled experience, because the support, the warmth and the charm are there at every moment. It’s hard to put into words. It’s very exciting,” added Ms Zambrano. The FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup Philippines 2025 will go down in history for two reasons. It was the first-ever women’s futsal tournament organised by FIFA and the first FIFA tournament to be held in the Philippines, will the whole competition taking place in Pasig in the Manila metropolitan area. The tournament is set to be a game-changer for women’s futsal. “It’s, without doubt, a huge boost for the women’s futsal community as a whole – female referees, players and managers. I think it motivates us to keep on working. It acts like a mirror, letting us see where we’re at and find the motivation so we can continue growing,” said Ms Zambrano. “A few years ago, it was unimaginable that we would come this far. Nowadays, women’s sports and women’s football are at their peak. And for us, female athletes, it’s an honour to be able to live out these moments and witness such a positive evolution of football, and it’s been very warmly welcomed by the fans,” Ms Gutiérrez concluded.

Source: FIFA

FIFA Arab Cup 2025 – Semi-finals

15 December 2025

Morocco – UAE
Referee: Espen Eskas NOR (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Engan NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Isaak Bashevkin NOR
Fourth Official: Ma Ning CHN
Reserve AR: Zhou Fei CHN
VAR: Jarred Gillett ENG
AVAR: Benjamin Pineda CRC

Saudi Arabia – Jordan
Referee: Juan Benitez PAR
Assistant Referee 1: Eduardo Cardozo PAR
Assistant Referee 2: Milciades Saldivar PAR
Fourth Official: Cristian Garay CHI
Reserve AR: Claudio Urrutia CHI
VAR: Antonio Garcia URU
AVAR: Dennis Higler NED

New UEFA Elite Referees: Lambrechts, Kavanagh, Jablonski, Rumsas, Walsh, Obrenovic, Rusta

The UEFA Referees Committee approved the referee categories for the second half of the season 2025/2026. The changes will take effect on 1 January 2026.

Men

Retired from Elite: Anastasios Sidiropoulos (GRE, 1979).

Promoted from First Category to Elite: Erik Lambrechts (BEL, 1984), Christopher Kavanagh (ENG, 1985), Sven Jablonski (GER, 1990, photo), Donatas Rumšas (LTU, 1988), Nicolas Walsh (SCO, 1990), Rade Obrenović (SVN, 1990).

Retired from First Category: Matej Jug (SVN).

Demoted from First Category to Second Category: Duje Strukan (CRO).

Promoted from Second Category to First Category: Jasper Vergoote (BEL, 1992), Radoslav Gidzhenov (BUL, 1991), Patrik Kolarić (CRO, 1995), Javier Alberola Rojas (ESP, 1991), Jérémie Pignard (FRA, 1987), Daniel Schlager (GER, 1989), Robert Hennessy (IRL, 1990), Andrea Colombo (ITA, 1990), Edgars Malcevs (LVA, 1992), Ishmael Barbara (MLT, 1993), Miloš Milanović (SRB, 1993), Michal Očenaš (SVK, 1991), Martin Matoša (SVN, 1995), Oleksii Derevinskiy (UKR, 1989).

Retired/removed from Second Category: Robert Schroder (GER), Martin Dohal (SVK), Peter Kralovic (SVK).

Women

Promoted from First Category to Elite: Emanuela Rusta (ALB, 1993).

Promoted from Second Category to First Category: Emily Heaslip (ENG, 1993), Anastasia Mylopoulou (GRE, 1991), Martina Molinaro (ITA, 1994), Eugenia Gil Soriano (ESP, 1996), Tatyana Sorokopudova (KAZ, 1990), Karoline Jensen (NOR, 1993), Filipa Cunha (POR, 1992), Milica Milovanović (SRB, 1997), Vanja Janković (SVN, 1995), Sofiya Prychyna (UKR, 1998).

FIFA Intercontinental Cup 2025 – Match 4 (Challenger Cup)

13 December 2025

Flamengo – Pyramids
Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim QAT (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Taleb Al-Marri QAT
Assistant Referee 2: Saoud Al-Maqaleh QAT
Fourth Official: Juan Calderon CRC
Reserve AR: Juan Mora CRC
VAR: Khamis Al-Marri QAT
AVAR: Sivakorn Pu-Udom THA
SVAR: Jarred Gillett ENG

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. 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)

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

SVAR: Dennis Higler NED

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