Matchday 3 of 2026/27 UEFA Nations League, referee assignments.
Thursday 1 October 2026
League D, Group 2
18:00 CET - Baku (Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium)
AZERBAIJAN vs. LIECHTENSTEIN
Referee: Christian-Petru Ciochirca AUT
Assistant Referee 1: Maximilian Weiß AUT
Assistant Referee 2: Michael Obritzberger AUT
Fourth Official: Safak Barmaksiz AUT
Video Assistant Referee: Manuel Schüttengruber AUT
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Alexander Harkam AUT
UEFA Referee Observer: Radek Příhoda CZE
UEFA Delegate: Róbert Kispál HUN
League A, Group 2
20:45 CET - Thessaloniki (Toumba Stadium)
GREECE vs. NETHERLANDS
Referee: Marco Guida ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Giorgio Peretti ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Giuseppe Perrotti ITA
Fourth Official: Fabio Maresca ITA
Video Assistant Referee: Daniele Chiffi ITA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Valerio Marini ITA
UEFA Referee Observer: Nuno Alexandre Parreira de Castro POR
UEFA Delegate: Peter Palenčík SVK
League A, Group 2
20:45 CET - Munich (Allianz Arena)
GERMANY vs. SERBIA
Referee: Espen Andreas Eskås NOR
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Erik Engan NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Alf Olav Rossland NOR
Fourth Official: Sigurd Smehus Kringstad NOR
Video Assistant Referee: Tiago Bruno Lopes Martins POR
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Kristoffer Hagenes NOR
UEFA Referee Observer: Chaim Ya'akov ISR
UEFA Delegate: Alojzije Šupraha CRO
League A, Group 4
20:45 CET - Cardiff (Cardiff City Stadium)
WALES vs. NORWAY
Referee: Alejandro José Hernández Hernández ESP
Assistant Referee 1: José Enrique Naranjo Pérez ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Diego Sánchez Rojo ESP
Fourth Official: Víctor García Verdura ESP
Video Assistant Referee: Dennis Johan Higler NED
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Richard Martens NED
UEFA Referee Observer: Sokol Jareci ALB
UEFA Delegate: Vignir Már Þormóðsson ISL
League A, Group 4
20:45 CET - Copenhagen (Parken)
DENMARK vs. PORTUGAL
Referee: Mykola Balakin UKR
Assistant Referee 1: Oleksandr Berkut UKR
Assistant Referee 2: Viktor Matyash UKR
Fourth Official: Klym Zabroda UKR
Video Assistant Referee: Stuart Attwell ENG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Viktor Kopiyevsʹkyy UKR
UEFA Referee Observer: Robert Schörgenhofer AUT
UEFA Delegate: Joseph O'Brien IRL
League B, Group 3
20:45 CET - Debrecen, HUN (Nagyerdei Stadion)
ISRAEL vs. KOSOVO
Referee: Radu Marian Petrescu ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Radu Adrian Ghinguleac ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Cosmin Bojan ROU
Fourth Official: Florin Andrei ROU
Video Assistant Referee: Cătălin Sorin Popa ROU
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Ovidiu Alin Hațegan ROU
UEFA Referee Observer: Chrístos Nikolaḯdis CYP
UEFA Delegate: David Andrew McDowell Zor SVN
League B, Group 3
20:45 CET - Dublin (Aviva Stadium)
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND vs. AUSTRIA
Referee: Allard Lindhout NED
Assistant Referee 1: Johan Balder NED
Assistant Referee 2: Murat Kücükerbir NED
Fourth Official: Jannick van der Laan NED
Video Assistant Referee: Jeroen Manschot NED
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Stan Teuben NED
UEFA Referee Observer: John Ferry NIR
UEFA Delegate: Rasmus Brandhof DEN
League D, Group 1
20:45 CET - Ta' Qali (National Stadium)
MALTA vs. GIBRALTAR
Referee: Antoni Bandić BIH
Assistant Referee 1: Damir Lazić BIH
Assistant Referee 2: Amer Macić BIH
Fourth Official: Mateo Musa BIH
Video Assistant Referee: Luka Bilbija BIH
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Nihad Ljajić BIH
UEFA Referee Observer: Lassin Isaksen FRO
UEFA Delegate: Scilla Gennaro ITA
Friday 2 October 2026
League C, Group 3
16:00 CET - Astana (Astana Arena)
KAZAKHSTAN vs. MOLDOVA
Referee: Marian Alexandru Barbu ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Mircea Mihail Grigoriu ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Imre Laszlo Bucsi ROU
Fourth Official: George Cătălin Roman ROU
Video Assistant Referee: Adrian Sorin Costreie ROU
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Andrei Florin Chivulete ROU
UEFA Referee Observer: Babək Quliyev AZE
UEFA Delegate: Darko Ramovš SRB
League C, Group 2
18:00 CET - Riga (Skonto stadions)
LATVIA vs. MONTENEGRO
Referee: Radoslav Gidzhenov BUL
Assistant Referee 1: Miroslav Ivanov BUL
Assistant Referee 2: Petar Mitrev BUL
Fourth Official: Nikola Popov BUL
Video Assistant Referee: Clay Ruperti NED
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Dimitar Dimitrov BUL
UEFA Referee Observer: Marián Ružbarský SVK
UEFA Delegate: Knut Bjørn Nordheim NOR
League C, Group 2
18:00 CET - Nicosia (GSP Stadium)
CYPRUS vs. ARMENIA
Referee: Mohammad Al-Emara FIN
Assistant Referee 1: Turkka Joonas Valjakka FIN
Assistant Referee 2: Mika Lamppu FIN
Fourth Official: Peiman Simani FIN
Video Assistant Referee: Paweł Malec POL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Kornel Paszkiewicz POL
UEFA Referee Observer: Levan Paniashvili GEO
UEFA Delegate: Tibor Vámos HUN
League A, Group 1
20:45 CET - Saint-Denis (Stade de France)
FRANCE vs. ITALY
Referee: Jesús Gil Manzano ESP
Assistant Referee 1: Guadalupe Porras Ayuso ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Raúl Cabañero Martínez ESP
Fourth Official: Juan Martínez Munuera ESP
Video Assistant Referee: Guillermo Cuadra Fernández ESP
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Valentín Pizarro Gómez ESP
UEFA Referee Observer: Stávros Tritsónis GRE
UEFA Delegate: Thura Win ENG
League A, Group 1
20:45 CET - Liège (Stade Maurice Dufrasne)
BELGIUM vs. TÜRKİYE
Referee: Rohit Saggi NOR
Assistant Referee 1: Anders Olav Dale NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Ole Andreas Skogsrud Haukåsen NOR
Fourth Official: Marius Hansen Grøtta NOR
Video Assistant Referee: Bastian Dankert GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Marius Lien NOR
UEFA Referee Observer: Vítor Manuel de Melo Pereira POR
UEFA Delegate: Scott Struthers SCO
League B, Group 2
20:45 CET - Trnava, Slovakia (City Arena - Štadión Antona Malatinského)
UKRAINE vs. NORTHERN IRELAND
Referee: Jasper Vergoote BEL
Assistant Referee 1: Michael Geerolf BEL
Assistant Referee 2: Martijn Tiesters BEL
Fourth Official: Lothar D'Hondt BEL
Video Assistant Referee: Jan Boterberg BEL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Wesli De Cremer BEL
UEFA Referee Observer: Howard Webb ENG
UEFA Delegate: Mark Bos NED
League B, Group 2
20:45 CET - Budapest (Puskás Aréna)
HUNGARY vs. GEORGIA
Referee: Srđan Jovanović SRB
Assistant Referee 1: Uroš Stojković SRB
Assistant Referee 2: Miloš Simović SRB
Fourth Official: Novak Simović SRB
Video Assistant Referee: Momčilo Marković SRB
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Jelena Cvetković SRB
UEFA Referee Observer: Karen Nalbandyan ARM
UEFA Delegate: Sviatlana Hrynkievič BLR
League B, Group 4
20:45 CET - Warsaw (PGE Narodowy)
POLAND vs. ROMANIA
Referee: Urs Schnyder SUI
Assistant Referee 1: Marco Zürcher SUI
Assistant Referee 2: Benjamin Zürcher SUI
Fourth Official: Sven Wolfensberger SUI
Video Assistant Referee: Fedayi San SUI
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Michèle Schmölzer SUI
UEFA Referee Observer: Dejan Filipović SRB
UEFA Delegate: Nils Øyvind Fisketjønn NOR
League B, Group 4
20:45 CET - Zenica (Stadion Bilino Polje)
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA vs. SWEDEN
Referee: Oleksiy Derevinsʹkyy UKR
Assistant Referee 1: Oleksiy Myronov UKR
Assistant Referee 2: Svitlana Hrushko UKR
Fourth Official: Dmytro Kubryak UKR
Video Assistant Referee: Denys Shurman UKR
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Dmytro Panchyshyn UKR
UEFA Referee Observer: Bernardino González Vázquez ESP
UEFA Delegate: Boris Stankov BUL
League C, Group 3
20:45 CET - Tórshavn (Tórsvøllur)
FAROE ISLANDS vs. SLOVAKIA
Referee: Mohammed Al-Hakim SWE
Assistant Referee 1: Mehmet Culum SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Fredrik Klyver SWE
Fourth Official: Joakim Sars SWE
Video Assistant Referee: Daniele Doveri ITA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Daniele Paterna ITA
UEFA Referee Observer: Ante Vučemilović CR
UEFA Delegate: Paul Larkin NIR
BREAKING..
ReplyDeleteFerhat Gundogdu chairman of the Turkish Football Federation's Central Referee Board (MHK) has been taken into custody along with several other individuals.
The investigation reportedly concerns allegations of fraudulent documents related to referee appointments
All the names.
Delete1- Ferhat GÜNDOĞDU (MHK Chairman - Turkey Central Referee Board Chairman)
2- Ferdi KARADORUK (President of the TFF Active Referees Association)
3- Ahmet ŞAHİN (Former Vice Chairman of the TFF Central Referee Board)
4- Yunus YILDIRIM (Former Member of the TFF Central Referee Board)
5- Sebahattin ŞAHİN (MHK Member - TFF Education and 4th Region Responsible)
6- Alican SAĞLAR (Organization Officer of the TFF Referees and Observers Association Istanbul Branch)
7- Emre KOSİF (Chairman of the TFF Referees and Observers Association Istanbul Provincial Referee Board)
I think Anthony Taylor won't stay in this corrupt environment and tarnish his own name. it's terrible
DeleteYou are right.
DeleteHowever, perhaps precisely because Taylor has got an exceptional expertise and is an honest individual of high moral standing, he could be beneficial to Turkish Referees in terms of restoring their image, serenity, and credibility.
In addition.Snoddy NIR is still there after two years and vast expierience to help in almost imposible conditions. Good luck.
DeleteGuida GRE-NED
ReplyDeleteBalakin DEN-POR
Eskas GER-SRB
Hernandez WAL-NOR
🤯
ReplyDeleteFerhat Gündoğdu, the chairman of the Turkish Football Federation's Central Referee Committee (MHK), along with several other committee members and figures associated with referee organizations, has been taken into custody as part of an investigation led by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.
The primary reasons behind the detentions and the ongoing "Referees File" operation involve:
Allegations of Official Document Forgery: Investigators are examining irregularities concerning forged official documents.
Interference in Referee Management: The probe targets alleged meddling and irregularities in referee appointments, rankings, examinations, and management systems.
Workplace Bullying (Mobbing): The investigation also encompasses allegations of workplace bullying within referee structures.
Authorities have conducted simultaneous operations across multiple provinces, utilizing financial examinations by MASAK (Financial Crimes Investigation Board) and historical telephone records (HTS) as part of the wider investigation.
Hernandez Hernandez with second appointment in this nations league cycle. Not sure how to read that.
ReplyDeleteWith four of the six Nations League matchdays being played almost back-to-back, with only today's lone day off in between, it seems pretty inevitable that we'll see a fair few referees getting a second appointment. (Hdz)² looks to be the first, but I doubt he'll be the last before 6 October.
DeleteHowever, before the second game for the referee from the Canary Islands, one should have expected Sánchez Martínez.
DeleteGil Manzano make an appearance in Champions League, while it's unclear whether Sánchez Martínez is still out (regularly assigned in La Liga).
What is the strategy? Giving all to Hernández Hernández right now because it's only Nations League and maybe nothing to follow in Champions League?
The first performance in NED - GER has been poor in my opinion.
Very often looking at such aspects, I'm more and more convinced that most of the times committee has just to assign names and they go for the more convenient option for them, without caring at all how the referee will then perform.
Can you deny this theory?
Your impression, Chefren, is the only plausible one.
DeleteHowever, it is simultaneously troubling because it subordinates the logic of performance merit to the logistics of referee appointments.
Unless Domenico Messina (the UEFA Referee Observer in NED-GER) suddenly lost his mind and judged HH's performance in that match as positive…
DeleteBalakin This mast will be working for the first time in Division A where a fight is expected. A possible new referee for the elite?
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion there hasn't been a real focus on Balakin, he got too few appearances in recent times, but it seems like he is back now. I wouldn't put him among the names promoted soon, but only because it's hard to make an assessment.
DeleteLet's wait and see whether his next outings will be in Champions League.
In your opinion what are the candidates to promotion
DeleteIt is quite sure that originally not Balakin was planned on this game, because Vladimir Petrov was appointed as observer some weeks ago for this game. But Petrov removed, Schrögengenhofer was planned for SUI-SVN , where is no observer now.
DeleteA major corruption and restructuring scandal has hit Turkish football.
ReplyDeleteIstanbul-based simultaneous police raids were carried out across multiple provinces as part of an investigation led by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. The key developments include:
High-Profile Arrests: Central Refereeing Committee (MHK) Chairman Ferhat Gündoğdu and six other figures within the refereeing system were detained.
Key Figures Detained: Alongside Gündoğdu, those taken into custody include Ferdi Karadoruk (President of the Active Football Referees and Observers Association), Ahmet Şahin (former MHK Deputy Chairman), Yunus Yıldırım (former MHK member), Sebahattin Şahin (current MHK member and regional coordinator), Alican Sağlar (Istanbul branch official), and Emre Kosif (head of the Istanbul Provincial Referee Committee).
The Allegations: The investigation centers on allegations of official document forgery, mobbing, meddling in referee rankings and examinations (including exam questions and score tampering at the Riva facility), and manipulating referee appointments.
Leaked Communications: Investigators reportedly uncovered incriminating messaging app data and chat logs detailing discussions on manipulating referee lists and handling specific officials.
TFF Statement: Following the operation, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) released a statement noting that they have submitted multiple criminal complaints to the prosecutor's office since 2025 to support a "clean football" initiative.
There are rumors that Anthony Taylor will replace the arrested chairman of the
DeleteCentral Refereeing Committee, Ferhat Gündoğdu.
Chefren, what do you make of all this?
DeleteHernandez with a second appointment is very, very surprising...
ReplyDeleteBalakin is also a surprise here
Where is Mariani? He hasn't been appointed to an UEFA international match for over a month.
ReplyDeleteHis performance in the Lyon–Fenerbahce match was terrible. At the end of the match, a huge fight broke out between the two teams, and Mariani and his team were not on the pitch at that moment. i think It was most likely due to these reasons.
DeleteRosetti probably thinks only Italian and Spanish ref can handle games - and the atmosphere - in Greece or Turkey. Or is it the algorithm ..
ReplyDeleteMaybe use the semi-friendly Nations League for development and send other refs there too.
FRA-ITA Gil Manzano
ReplyDeleteAnthony Taylor is expected to be temporarily appointed as head of Turkey’s Central Refereeing Committee (MHK) following the detention of current chairman Ferhat Gündoğdu.
ReplyDeleteGündoğdu was among seven people detained yesterday as part of an investigation into alleged interference with referee classifications, appointments, scoring and refereeing exams.
Taylor has been serving as the MHK’s Elite Referee Director since retiring from the Premier League and English football in August.
(Source: Hürriyet)
Very big game for Manzano
ReplyDeleteI think the most interesting appointment of this set is Saggi.
ReplyDeleteDo you have any information about Mariani? He hasn't been assigned to any game for a long time.
DeleteI really would wait for all the NL appointments before analyzing something regarding Mariani.
DeleteE.g. Turpin also hasn't received any game in the same time period, so we are still in the "normal zone", I think.
It still seems likely to me, that Mariani gets a NL (PORNOR or WALDEN) and a CL MD2 game.
And yes, Saggi could not really be expected in league A after no CL game last (and this) season. Puts him back on the map regarding the Elite spots. Maybe a CL game follows soon.
DeleteWe also have CRO-ENG left with a committee observer and most of the top First group referees are already appointed. Fotias and Sylwestrzak seem the best guesses there now.
103 matches in Nations League and Under 21 Qualification played and assigned between September 24th and October 2nd.
ReplyDeleteDenmark with ZERO referees so far. Only minnows San Marino, Gibraltar, Faroe Islands, Wales, Northern Ireland and Moldova have not had any assignments either - Denmark with SEVEN FIFA-referees. 3 more than any other of the aforementioned.
Referee crisis full blown with a horrible starter to the season and already 5 VAR-mistakes admmitted from chairman Michael Johansen the first 10 rounds; pre-season he set 5 mistakes ALL season (32 rounds) as the target
I watched the latest Brøndby-Copenhagen derby. The referee in this match was a young guy, and he did a really good job. I hope we can see great referees like Claus Bo Larsen and Peter Mikkelsen again in Denmark
DeleteKim Milton Nilsen
Delete