CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2025 – Group Stage (Match 1)

21 December 2025

Morocco – Comoros
Referee: Jean Ndala COD
Assistant Referee 1:
Assistant Referee 2:
Fourth Official:
Reserve AR:
VAR: Dahane Beida MTN
AVAR:

Video Match Officials Candidates (World Cup 2026 & Women’s World Cup 2027)

AFC (Men)

1. Shaun Evans (AUS, 1987, photo)
3. Fu Ming (CHN, 1983)
4. Jumpei Iida (JPN, 1981)
5. Kim Woo-Sung (KOR, 1987)
6. Abdullah Jamali (KUW, 1992)
7. Khamis Al-Marri (QAT, 1984)
8. Abdullah Al-Shehri (KSA, 1992)
9. Muhammad Bin Jahari (SIN, 1986)
10. Sivakorn Pu-Udom (THA, 1987)
11. Mohammed Obaid (UAE, 1984)
12. Firdavs Norsafarov (UZB, 1994)

AFC (Women)
1. Kate Jacewicz (AUS, 1985)
2. Lara Lee (AUS, 1988)
3. Casey Reibelt (AUS, 1988)
4. Law Bik-Chi (HKG, 1984)
5. Abirami Naidu (SIN, 1984)
6. Edita Mirabidova (UZB, 1984)

CAF (Men)
1. Lahlou Benbraham (ALG, 1986)
2. Mahmoud Ashour (EGY, 1976)
3. Hamza El-Fariq (MAR, 1990)
4. Abongile Tom (RSA, 1991)
5. Haythem Guirat (TUN, 1990)

CAF (Women)
1. Letticia Viana (ESW, 1985)
2. Maria Rivet (MRI, 1984)
3. Salima Mukansanga (RWA, 1988)
4. Dorsaf Ganouati (TUN, 1984)

CONCACAF (Men)
1. Benjamin Whitty (CAY, 1983)
2. Yasith Monge (CRC, 1990)
3. Benjamin Pineda (CRC, 1987)
4. Daneon Parchment (JAM, 1981)
5. Adonai Escobedo (MEX, 1987)
6. Oscar Macias (MEX, 1981)
7. Erick Miranda (MEX, 1982)
8. Guillermo Pacheco (MEX, 1995)
9. Ismael Cornejo (SLV, 1987)
10. Allen Chapman (USA, 1974)
11. Joseph Dickerson (USA, 1987)
12. Edvin Jurisevic (USA, 1975)
13. Chris Penso (USA, 1982)
14. Armando Villarreal (USA, 1986)

CONCACAF (Women)
1. Marianela Araya (CRC, 1988)
2. Katia Garcia (MEX, 1992)
3. Diana Perez (MEX, 1989)
4. Tatiana Guzman (NCA, 1985)
5. Ekaterina Koroleva (USA, 1987)

CONMEBOL (Men)
1. Hernan Mastrangelo (ARG, 1981)
2. Silvio Trucco (ARG, 1978)
3. Rodolpho Toski (BRA, 1987)
4. Rodrigo Carvajal (CHI, 1986)
5. Juan Lara (CHI, 1989)
6. Heider Castro (COL, 1990)
7. Nicolas Gallo (COL, 1986)
8. David Rodriguez (COL, 1999)
9. Carlos Orbe (ECU, 1982)
10. Derlis Lopez (PAR, 1988)
11. Ulises Mereles (PAR, 1984)
12. Antonio Garcia (URU, 1986)
13. Leodan Gonzalez (URU, 1983)
14. Juan Soto (VEN, 1977)

CONMEBOL (Women)
1. Salome Di Iorio (ARG, 1980)
2. Daiane Muniz (BRA, 1988)
3. Charly Deretti (BRA, 1987)
4. Maria Daza (COL, 1986)
5. Susana Corella (ECU, 1983)
6. Zulma Quinonez (PAR, 1986)
7. Milagros Arruela (PER, 1992)
8. Stefanie Escobar (VEN, 1997)

UEFA (Men)
1. Manuel Schüttengruber (AUT, 1983)
2. Bram Van Driessche (BEL, 1985)
3. Ivan Bebek (CRO, 1977)
4. Jarred Gillett (ENG, 1986)
5. Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP, 1976)
6. Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez (ESP, 1982)
7. Jerôme Brisard (FRA, 1986)
8. Willy Delajod (FRA, 1992)
9. Bastian Dankert (GER, 1980)
10. Angelos Evangelou (GRE, 1983)
11. Marco Di Bello (ITA, 1981)
12. Marco Guida (ITA, 1981)
13. Rob Dieperink (NED, 1988)
14. Dennis Higler (NED, 1985)
15. Tomasz Kwiatkowski (POL, 1978)
16. Piotr Lasyk (POL, 1979)
17. Andre Narciso (POR, 1983)
18. Ovidiu Hategan (ROU, 1980)
19. Momcilo Markovic (SRB, 1987)
20. Fedayi San (SUI, 1982)

UEFA (Women)
1. Emanuela Rusta (ALB, 1993)
2. Jana Adamkova (CZE, 1978)
3. Katrin Rafalski (GER, 1982)
4. Katalin Kulcsar (HUN, 1984)
5. Eszter Urban (HUN, 1984)
6. Catarina Campos (POR, 1985)
7. Claudia Ribeiro (POR, 1990)
8. Cristina Trandafir (ROU, 1983)
9. Jelena Cvetković (SRB, 1991)

FIFA Seminars for VMO Candidates
AFC & CAF: Doha (Qatar), 3-5 February 2026
CONCACAF: Dallas (USA), 19-21 January 2026
CONMEBOL: Asuncion (Paraguay), 14-16 January 2026
UEFA: Vienna (Austria), 10-12 February 2026

UEFA Referee Categories - Second half of the season 2025/2026

FIFA World Cup 2026 – Candidate Referees Seminar (UEFA)

Dubai (UAE), 2-6 March 2026

Referees

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

Not retained from the pre-selected list
1. Daniel Siebert (GER, 1984)
2. Marco Guida (ITA, 1981)
3. Serdar Gözübüyük (NED, 1985)
4. Ivan Kruzliak (SVK, 1984)
5. Jesus Gil Manzano (ESP, 1984)
6. Halil Meler (TUR, 1986)

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