CAF Confederation Cup 2025/2026 – Group Stage (Matchday 6)

14-15 February 2026

Zamalek – Kaiser Chiefs
Referee: Mahmood Ismail SDN

Al Masry – ZESCO United

USM Alger – Olympic Safi

Djoliba – San Pedro

Wydad AC – Azam

Maniema Union – Nairobi United

CR Belouizdad – AS Otoho

Stellenbosch – Black Stars

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

14-15 February 2026

RS Berkane – Rivers United

Pyramids – Power Dynamos

Mamelodi Sundowns – MC Alger

Al Hilal – St. Eloi Lupopo
Referee: Thabang Ketshabile BOT

Esperance de Tunis – Petro de Luanda
Referee: Peter Waweru KEN

Simba – Stade Malien

Al Ahly – AS FAR
Referee: Louis Houngnandande BEN

Young Africans – JS Kabylie

UEFA: Priming the next generation of referees

Preparing young referees for their future challenges was a key component of our winter match official courses, held this year in Limassol, Cyprus, serving as preparation for the second half of the season while reflecting on refereeing topics from the opening months of the campaign. An ambitious programme aimed at accelerating the development and progress of new European international referees is bearing impressive fruit – and an important factor in its success is the vital contribution of former top referees who serve as experienced mentors to guide, advise and foster newcomers to the UEFA refereeing community as they embark on a fresh and important pathway in their budding careers.

Offering experience and wisdom

The UEFA Centre of Refereeing Excellence (CORE) International programme aims, among other things, to mentor new international referees during their first year of UEFA duty. The objective is to offer them the experience and wisdom of former match officials who have ‘been there and done it’ during their own careers. "It's a fantastic opportunity for the new UEFA officials to learn from former referees' experiences and from what they've been through," says UEFA director of refereeing Roberto Rosetti. "The mentors will offer close support during regular contact. The new referees will not be alone – they will have the possibility to share experiences, while receiving expert help in approaching difficult situations. We’re caring for young referees, preparing the next generation and also discovering the most promising officials for the future."

High-quality support and advice

One excellent example of how a new UEFA referee can expect to receive the best possible guidance will see Austrian match official Lena Hirtl mentored by Ingrid Jonsson, the Swedish referee who made history as the first woman to officiate at the final of a FIFA Women's World Cup in 1995. "Ingrid has such great experience in many aspects of refereeing, and I’m really happy to have her as a coach," says Hirtl. "I think she’ll be able to give me input and information that can help me make the next steps as a referee. It’s important that we’re honest with each other. I’m someone who welcomes criticism, because this openness is going to give me the opportunity to learn and improve." Jonsson shares her mentee's sentiments. "It’s such a great pleasure and honour to work with future talents," she says. "I think it will be very important to try and inspire Lena – I wish I could have had this help as a referee. We’ll build up a relationship based on honesty and trust, and I hope she enjoys every moment of her refereeing!"

Scottish match official Ryan Lee also welcomes the establishment of his mentoring bond with former Northern Ireland referee Leslie Irvine. "I’m delighted to have a very experienced mentor in Leslie to share ideas and discuss my refereeing – the ups and downs, and the positive moments along my journey," he said. "It’s going to be so valuable to have someone in your corner with you, that wants to support you and see you do well." For Irvine, it's important to provide counsel when things do not always go to plan. "I want to be there for Ryan through the 'good' and the 'bad' – to share in his achievements and success, but I also need to be there in moments of disappointment, because there will be those times as well in his career," he explains. "I consider it a pleasure and a privilege to be part of this great initiative."

Important spring assignments

While the young referees adapt to the demands of being a UEFA referee, their more experienced colleagues are entering the business end of the season, with important club and national-team assignments on their agenda. For some of the male referees, duty also awaits at this summer’s FIFA World Cup. Rosetti is satisfied with the way the season has gone so far. "We’re always looking for perfection but, of course, total perfection doesn’t exist," he reflects. "Nevertheless, the first part of the season has been very positive. It’s been pleasing to see this positive trend continuing after the winter break. We strive for decision-making consistency, and we’ve seen this consistency at the start of the year. Now we must continue along this path, because the next hurdles will be tough in the European club and national team competitions. We’re urging the referees to stay focused and continue the hard work they put in."

UEFA and AFC join refereeing forces

"We are committed to helping the growth of the game all around the world in every aspect of the game – and refereeing is no exception. To this end, and as part of our international development programme, UEFA Together, we have kicked off a new initiative alongside the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). We will start to exchange referees in youth tournaments, and AFC representatives have been at our winter courses to analyse and study our operational processes," Rosetti explains. "It's a bilateral project to learn from each other and improve the quality of refereeing as a result. We already have a good relationship with the South American confederation CONMEBOL. We welcome the chance to share our knowledge – it’s important for world football that we do this."

Source: UEFA

Concacaf Champions Cup 2026 – First Round (Second Leg)

10 February 2026
Pumas UNAM – San Diego FC
Referee: Said Martinez HON (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Walter Lopez HON
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Ramirez HON
Fourth Official: Jose Garcia SLV
VAR: Tatiana Guzman NCA
AVAR: Jesus Montero CRC

Tigres UANL – Forge FC
Referee: Juan Calderon CRC
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Mora CRC
Assistant Referee 2: William Arrieta CRC
Fourth Official: Josue Ugalde CRC
VAR: David Gomez CRC
AVAR: Jose Rivero USA

11 February 2026
Club America – CD Olimpia
Referee: Drew Fischer CAN
Assistant Referee 1: Micheal Barwegen CAN
Assistant Referee 2: Lyes Arfa CAN
Fourth Official: Rubiel Vazquez USA
VAR: Jose Rivero USA
AVAR: Jesus Montero CRC

CF Monterrey – Club Xelaju
Referee: Pierre-Luc Lauziere CAN
Assistant Referee 1: Stefan Tanaka-Freundt CAN
Assistant Referee 2: Christopher Elliot USA
Fourth Official: Rosendo Mendoza USA
VAR: Edvin Jurisevic USA 

AVAR: Tatiana Guzman NCA

12 February 2026
Cruz Azul – Vancouver FC
Referee: Tori Penso USA
Assistant Referee 1: Brooke Mayo USA
Assistant Referee 2: Kathryn Nesbitt USA
Fourth Official: Natalie Simon USA
VAR: Edvin Jurisevic USA
AVAR: Lukasz Szpala USA

UEFA Women’s Champions League 2025/26 – KO Play-Offs (First Leg)

11 February 2026

OH Leuven – Arsenal WFC
Referee: Iuliana Demetrescu ROU (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Bianca Florea ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Roxana Ivanov ROU
Fourth Official: Ana Terteleac ROU
VAR: Sebastian Colţescu RO
AVAR: Adrian Costreie ROU
Referee Observer: Gitte Holm DEN

Paris FC – Real Madrid
Referee: Ivana Martinčić CRO
Assistant Referee 1: Maja Petravić CRO
Assistant Referee 2: Ivona Pejić CRO
Fourth Official: Miriama Bočková SVK
VAR: Mario Zebec CRO
AVAR: Ivan Matić CRO
Referee Observer: Dilan Gökçek Işcan TUR

12 February 2026
VfL Wolfsburg – Juventus FC
Referee: Alina Peşu ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Daniela Constantinescu ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Marilena Nan ROU
Fourth Official: Eleni Antoniou GRE
VAR: Lukas Fähndrich SUI
AVAR: Michèle Schmölzer SUI
Referee Observer: Ausra Kance LTU

Atletico de Madrid – Manchester United
Referee: Silvia Gasperotti ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Giulia Tempestilli ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Stefania Signorelli ITA
Fourth Official: Deborah Bianchi ITA
VAR: Gianluca Aureliano ITA
AVAR: Rosario Abisso ITA
Referee Observer: Esther Staubli SUI

UEFA Women’s Europa Cup 2025/26 – Quarter-finals (First Leg)

11 February 2026

Sparta Praha – Austria Wien
Referee: Olatz Rivera Olmedo ESP (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Iragartze Fernández Esesúmaga ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Eliana Fernández González ESP
Fourth Official: Elisabeth Calvo Valentín ESP
Referee Observer: Eleni Kyriou GRE

BK Hacken – Breidablik
Referee: Lina Lehtovaara FIN
Assistant Referee 1: Heini Hyvönen FIN
Assistant Referee 2: Jenni Paavolainen FIN
Fourth Official: Minka Vekkeli FIN
Referee Observer: Katarzyna Wierzbowska POL

Eintracht Frankfurt – FC Nordsjaeland
Referee: Désirée Blanco SUI
Assistant Referee 1: Linda Schmid SUI
Assistant Referee 2: Susanne Küng SUI
Fourth Official: Deborah Anex SUI
Referee Observer: Nelly Viennot FRA

Sporting CP – Hammarby IF
Referee: Michalina Diakow POL
Assistant Referee 1: Paulina Baranowska POL
Assistant Referee 2: Julia Bukarowicz POL
Fourth Official: Katarzyna Lisiecka-Sęk POL
Referee Observer: Dagmar Damková CZE

CONMEBOL Libertadores 2026 – First Round (Second Leg)

10-12 February 2026

Deportivo Tachira – The Strongest
Referee: Derlis Lopez PAR (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Cuevas PAR
Assistant Referee 2: Julio Aranda PAR
Fourth Official: Derlis Benitez PAR
VAR: Fernando Lopez PAR
AVAR: Carlos Figueredo PAR
Referee Assessor: Luis Sanchez VEN
VAR Supervisor: Wilson Lamouroux COL

Alianza Lima – 2 de Mayo
Referee: Flavio Souza BRA
Assistant Referee 1: Rodrigo Correa BRA
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Alves BRA
Fourth Official: Rodrigo Pereira BRA
VAR: Rodrigo D’Alonso BRA
AVAR: Diego Pombo BRA
Referee Assessor: Ana Perez PER
VAR Supervisor: Roberto Silvera URU

Universidad Catolica – Juventud
Referee: Yael Falcon ARG
Assistant Referee 1: Sebastian Raineri ARG
Assistant Referee 2: Pablo Acevedo ARG
Fourth Official: Sebastian Zunino ARG
VAR: Pablo Dovalo ARG
AVAR: Lucas Novelli ARG
Referee Assessor: Juan Corozo ECU
VAR Supervisor: Julio Bascunan CHI

NFL referees are paid big bonuses for Super Bowl

Leading up to Super Bowl LX, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell raved about the job officials have done for the league. “I’m so amazed at how good our officials are,” Goodell told an audience during Super Bowl week. He may be the only person who feels that way. To the average fan, the NFL has an officiating problem. Of course, it’s important to recognize that their job is difficult. The action moves quickly in the NFL, and, right or wrong, every call is scrutinized. Although referees deal with plenty of criticism, they are paid well by the league. According to MoneyDigest.com, officials make an average of $205,000 per season. Those who call the Super Bowl are in line for an even bigger payday. Leading up to the Super Bowl, referees are reportedly paid anywhere from $1,500 to $5,000 for postseason games. The big money, though, comes from officiating the big game. Super Bowl bonuses for NFL referees are reportedly between $30,000 and $50,000.

Who are the referees for Super Bowl LX? Referee: Shawn Smith (photo), Umpire: Roy Ellison, Down Judge: Dana McKenzie, Line Judge: Julian Mapp, Field Judge: Jason Ledet, Side Judge: Eugene Hall, Back Judge: Greg Steed, Replay Official: Andrew Lambert. Smith will be working his first Super Bowl on Sunday when the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots face off. Mapp, Ledet and Lambert will also be making their Super Bowl debuts on Sunday. Ellison and Hall, meanwhile, will be officiating their fourth respective Super Bowls. A season-long evaluation system is used to name the officiating crew for the Super Bowl. The highest-rated officials at each position are selected to officiate, provided they meet the criteria of having worked in the league for five years or more.

Source: Syracuse

CAF Confederation Cup 2025/2026 – Group Stage (Matchday 5)

8 February 2026

Kaizer Chiefs – Al Masry
Referee: Daniel Laryea GHA (photo)

Zesco United – Zamalek
Referee: Abdou Mefire CMR

San Pedro – USM Alger
Referee: Naby Toure GUI

Singida Black Stars – CR Belouizdad
Referee: Adalbert Diouf SEN

Azam – Maniema Union
Referee: Messie Nkounkou CGO

Nairobi United – Wydad AC
Referee: Ahmad Heeralall MRI

Olympic Safi – Djoliba
Referee: Omar Artan SOM

AS Otoho – Stellenbosch
Referee: Babacar Sarr MTN

CAF Champions League 2025/2026 – Group Stage (Matchday 5)

6-8 February 2026

AS FAR – Young Africans
Referee: Abongile Tom RSA (photo)

MC Alger – Al Hilal
Referee: Clement Kpan CIV

JS Kabylie – Al Ahly
Referee: Brighton Chimene ZIM

Power Dynamos – RS Berkane
Referee: Samuel Uwikunda RWA

Stade Malien – Esperance de Tunis
Referee: Mustapha Ghorbal ALG

Petro de Luanda – Simba
Referee: Yannick Malala COD

St. Eloi Lupopo – Mamelodi Sundowns
Referee: Peter Waweru KEN

Rivers United – Pyramids
Referee: Mehrez Melki TUN