Monday, 16 March 2026

Champions League 2025/26 - Referee Appointments - Round of 16 (Second Legs, II)

Last set of referee appointments for 2025/26 UEFA Champions League Round of 16, second legs, game to be played on 18 March 2026. 


Wednesday 18 March 2026

18:45 CET - Barcelona (Camp Nou)
FC BARCELONA (ENG) - NEWCASTLE UNITED FC (ENG) 
Referee: François Letexier FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Cyril Mugnier FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Mehdi Rahmouni FRA
Fourth Official: Jérémie Pignard FRA
Video Assistant Referee: Bram Van Driessche BEL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Jérôme Brisard FRA
UEFA Referee Observer: Frank De Bleeckere BEL 
UEFA Delegate: Ronald Zimmermann GER

21:00 CET - Liverpool (Anfield) 
LIVERPOOL FC (ENG)  - GALATASARAY (TUR) 
Referee: Szymon Marciniak POL
Assistant Referee 1: Tomasz Listkiewicz POL
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Kupsik POL
Fourth Official: Paweł Raczkowski POL
Video Assistant Referee: Marco Di Bello ITA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Daniele Chiffi ITA 
UEFA Referee Observer: Marián Ružbarský SVK 
UEFA Delegate: Alojzije Šupraha CRO

21:00 CET - Munich (Allianz Arena) 
FC BAYERN MÜNCHEN (GER) - ATALANTA BC (ITA)  
Referee: Benoît Bastien FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Hicham Zakrani FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Aurélien Berthomieu FRA
Fourth Official: Mathieu Vernice FRA
Video Assistant Referee: Bastien Dechepy FRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Jarred Gillett ENG
UEFA Referee Observer: Levan Paniashvili GEO
UEFA Delegate: Attila Tömo HUN

21:00 CET - London (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium) 
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR FC (ENG)  - CLUB ATLÉTICO DE MADRID (ESP) 
Referee: Daniel Siebert GER 
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Seidel GER
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Foltyn GER
Fourth Official: Daniel Schlager GER
Video Assistant Referee: Bastian Dankert GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Sören Storks GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Jan W. Wegereef NED 
UEFA Delegate: Philippe Prudhon FRA
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15 comments:

  1. Adams A.A.16 March 2026 at 09:59

    We are waiting

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  2. professionalism16 March 2026 at 10:10

    Szymon Marciniak at Anfield, Benoît Bastien in Munich, Daniel Siebert in London, François Letexier in Barcelona.

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  3. Chefren16 March 2026 at 10:24

    VAR for Munich is not appointed, possible that there was a change, but the name of Bastien could have been guessed even before the first leg score, I think. We can't be 100% sure here.
    As for the rest, once again some big names getting the second legs after "lower" Elite had been assigned to first legs (Letexier - Guida for Barça game).
    And Siebert is the winner so far. It's fair. Very hard situation at moment for Zwayer, but I think things for WC can't change, it's too late, and he must go.

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    Replies
    1. Peter16 March 2026 at 10:48

      In the (more distant) past, it was sometimes common to appoint referees for the finals in the European Cup who did not participate in the World Cup in the same year. I, for example, remember Terje Hauge (Champions League), Herbert Fandel (UEFA Cup), and Stefano Farina (Super Cup) in 2006 or Hellmut Krug (Champions League), Antonio Lopez Nieto (UEFA Cup), and Stefano Braschi (Cup Winners' Cup) in 1998. This year, in theory, the opportunity could arise again to call on such 'prevented' World Cup referees.

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  4. Nerazzuri16 March 2026 at 10:43

    wow .. Zwayer had some really bad performances, but didn't expect the committee to completely get rid of him.... but yeah Siebert has been the better referee this year so very deserved for him.
    Unsurprisingly, Letexier gets the biggest game .. Great game also for Marciniak for his return.
    Good to see Bastien here, even though the game will have no stakes at all.

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  5. professionalism16 March 2026 at 10:46

    At first glance, we can clearly see the dominance of French referees – three out of eight. If you ask me, Bastien in Munich feels somewhat unnecessary, but okay, UEFA probably wanted to acknowledge his significant progress in recent times.
    Overall, I like the appointments. The committee isn’t leaving anything to chance: Marciniak at Anfield, Letexier in Barcelona. Siebert got the match in London, just as I predicted. All in all, this is one of the rare occasions where I don’t really have any major complaints about the appointments, except perhaps the fact that there are three French referees. The match in Munich seemed ideal for a newly promoted Elite referee, or even a future Elite candidate, similar to what UEFA did last year in the Round of 16 for already decided ties.
    However, I now have a few theories that interest me.

    Is Daniel Siebert definitely becoming Germany’s number one referee? If the World Cup list were being made now and there had been no preliminary list before, would Felix Zwayer even be in contention? He officiated a Champions League semi-final and the Europa League final, and all of that happened less than a year ago. In some scenarios, he was even considered for the Champions League final.

    So the question arises: is all of this unfair to Zwayer? I don’t know. I can’t say it isn’t fair either. There have been too many OFR decisions, and that situation in Milan… The final blow would be missing the World Cup, but I still don’t think that will happen. There are several referees on the list who have completely lost UEFA’s trust.

    But then again – does that actually have anything to do with the World Cup list? Probably yes. Or maybe UEFA is protecting Zwayer now so that everything doesn’t completely collapse for him? I don’t know, but we’ll see the situation during the national team playoffs.

    As for the English referees, I don’t think it’s anything extraordinary since there were so many English teams involved. I expect Michael Oliver to appear in the quarter-finals and later stages this season. I sincerely hope I won’t see Anthony Taylor.
    And István Kovács? Since that mistake and subsequent cooling-off period at the FIFA Club World Cup, it’s difficult to define his current situation. His drop in form has come at a very bad moment ahead of the World Cup, because he could have been a candidate for the latter stages of the tournament. Now, after what I consider an unnecessary second yellow card for Monaco, it’s expected that he misses this stage, and we’ll see what happens next.
    What I’d like to ask everyone on this blog is: who do you see officiating the latter stages of the Champions League this season? After this round, there will still be 13 matches left. How many referees does that mean? Which ones? How will UEFA approach it considering the World Cup is coming up? The international playoffs are also approaching.

    I know it’s early, but who do you see as a candidate for the Champions League final this year who hasn’t already refereed one?
    We have many questions, and exciting months ahead for all of us who love refereeing.

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    Replies
    1. Adams A.A.16 March 2026 at 12:41

      There are a handful of officials that I think already looks to have cut it to make it into the later stages example: Letexier, Marciniak, Makelie just to name a few. As for the final, if there is no English team in the match up then Michael Oliver has to be the obvious candidate. I just can't see anyone else being more appropriate for this year's final showpiece in Budapest if there is no English team.
      If there is an English team then Makellie should be the candidate. Some may like to say Letexier but that would be unfair to guys like Makellie and Oliver who are equally capable but older IMO

      Delete
  6. Zwayerbrazil16 March 2026 at 11:01

    Now you guys stop worrying about Felix saying that it must be hard oh didn't imagine committee being so harsh on him oh committee got rid of him oh very hard situation for Felix because all of you in a first moment thrown stones on him and you all criticized him. Stop with hypocrisy.

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    1. Nerazzuri16 March 2026 at 12:02

      We criticize him and it's okay, he had some bad performances, but we always wish the referees to do well and to succeed ... So there is no hypocrisy, all referees get criticized and praised

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    2. Zwayerbrazil16 March 2026 at 12:03

      Here he never gets praised. And if I praise him im the one criticized. It's just critics around there. EL final critics, cl semi critics, all match he does critics.

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    3. Nerazzuri16 March 2026 at 12:09

      I didn't notice that. I always considered him as one of Europe's best, this season has been a bit subpar for him, but I am sure he will recover if given the chance. I just hope this doesn't affect his World Cup chances.

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    4. Anonymous16 March 2026 at 12:37

      Nothing to worry about Zwayerbrazil. I remember that e.g. Makkelie was a bit ‘thrown away’ last season after a subpar performance (no UCL knock-out at all) and he still managed to get a QF at the Club World Cup. UEFA is not FIFA, and in a separate tournament they all start from zero.

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  7. Cassius16 March 2026 at 11:08

    I don't know about Zwayer, but Siebert has definitely earned a match like this even if the tie is decided. His UEFA performances have been brave and very good.

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  8. Anonymous16 March 2026 at 12:39

    Hang on, how did end up Nyberg in the Europa League? His R32 was decent wasn’t it? Or did he have more than one OFR?

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    Replies
    1. Lincoln16 March 2026 at 12:42

      I didn't understand anything either. He should have been named in the Champions League Round of 16 match. Something happened to the Swede.

      Delete

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