2026/27 UEFA Champions League. Please find below the referee appointments for the first set of MD3 games, to be played on Tuesday 20 October 2026.
Tuesday 20 October 2026
18:45 CET - Istanbul (Fenerbahçe Şükrü Saracoğlu Spor Kompleksi)
FENERBAHÇE (TUR) - SK SLAVIA PRAHA (CZE)
Referee: Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea ESP
Assistant Referee 1: Iker De Francisco Grijalba ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Iván Massó Granado ESP
Fourth Official: Adrián Cordero Vega ESP
Video Assistant Referee: Guillermo Cuadra Fernández ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Iván Massó Granado ESP
Fourth Official: Adrián Cordero Vega ESP
Video Assistant Referee: Guillermo Cuadra Fernández ESP
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Javier Iglesias Villanueva ESP
UEFA Referee Observer: Aleksandar Stavrev MKD
UEFA Delegate Olzhas Abrayev KAZ
18:45 CET - Baku (Olympic Stadium)
SABAH FK (AZE) - BORUSSIA DORTMUND (GER)
Referee: Javier Alberola Rojas ESP
Assistant Referee 1: Alfredo Rodríguez Moreno ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Álvarez Fernández ESP
Fourth Official: Víctor García Verdura ESP
Video Assistant Referee: César Soto Grado ESP
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Valentín Pizarro Gómez ESP
UEFA Referee Observer: Michael Anthony Riley ENG
UEFA Delegate: Marcin Stefański POL
21:00 CET - Paris (Parc des Princes)
PARIS SAINT GERMAIN (FRA) - FC BARCELONA (ESP)
Referee: Michael Oliver ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt ENG
Assistant Referee 2: James Mainwaring ENG
Fourth Official: Robert Jones ENG
Video Assistant Referee: Marco Di Bello ITA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Daniele Chiffi ITA
UEFA Referee Observer: Rune Pedersen NORUEFA Delegate: Peter Palenčík SVK
21:00 CET - Liverpool (Anfield)
LIVERPOOL FC (ENG) - VILLARREAL CF (ESP)
Referee: Szymon Marciniak POLAssistant Referee 1: Tomasz Listkiewicz POL
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Kupsik POL
Fourth Official: Wojciech Myc POL
Video Assistant Referee: Piotr Lasyk POL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Benjamin Brand GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Itchko Lozev BUL
UEFA Delegate: Nils Fisketjonn NOR
21:00 CET - Manchester (Etihad Stadium)
MANCHESTER CITY FC (ENG) - AEK (GRE)
Referee: Willy Delajod FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Erwan Finjean FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Valentin Evrard FRA
Fourth Official: Bastien Dechepy FRA
Video Assistant Referee: Bram Van Driessche BEL
Assistant Referee 1: Erwan Finjean FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Valentin Evrard FRA
Fourth Official: Bastien Dechepy FRA
Video Assistant Referee: Bram Van Driessche BEL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Christian Dingert GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Carlos Velasco Carballo ESP
UEFA Delegate: Luis Cuervas Del Real ESP
UEFA Delegate: Luis Cuervas Del Real ESP
21:00 CET - Rome (Stadio Olimpico)
AS ROMA (ITA) - ŠK SLOVAN BRATISLAVA (SVK)
Referee: Sandro Schärer SUIAssistant Referee 1: Stéphane De Almeida SUI
Assistant Referee 2: Jonas Erni SUI
Fourth Official: Anojen Kanagasingam SUI
Video Assistant Referee: Fedayi San SUI
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
UEFA Referee Observer: Peter Sippel GERAssistant Referee 2: Jonas Erni SUI
Fourth Official: Anojen Kanagasingam SUI
Video Assistant Referee: Fedayi San SUI
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
UEFA Delegate: Thura Win ENG
21:00 CET - Porto (Estádio do Dragão)
FC PORTO (POR) - PSV (NED)
Referee: Daniel Siebert GER
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Seidel GER
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Foltyn GER
Fourth Official: Max Burda GERVideo Assistant Referee: Sören Storks GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Robert Schröder GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Alain Hamer LUX
UEFA Delegate: Rudolf Řepka CZE
21:00 CET - Naples (Stadio Diego Armando Maradona)
SSC NAPOLI (ITA) - FK BODØ/GLIMT (NOR)
Referee: José María Sánchez Martínez ESPAssistant Referee 1: Raúl Cabañero Martínez ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Íñigo Prieto López de Cerain ESP
Fourth Official: Juan Martínez Munuera ESP
Video Assistant Referee: Tiago Bruno Lopes Martins POR
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Carlos del Cerro Grande ESP
UEFA Referee Observer: Leslie Irvine NIR
UEFA Delegate: Christian Kofoed DEN21:00 CET - Stuttgart (MHPArena)
VFB STUTTGART (GER) - CLUB ATLÉTICO DE MADRID (ESP) Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük NED
Assistant Referee 1: Patrick Inia NED
Assistant Referee 2: Rogier Honig NED
Fourth Official: Jeroen Manschot NEDVideo Assistant Referee: Dennis Johan Higler NED
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Stuart Attwell ENG
UEFA Referee Observer: Martin Atkinson ENG
UEFA Delegate: Mauro Tonolini ITA
Another Spanish referee has been assigned to an Istanbul team's home match. Rosetti always seems to choose either a Spanish or an Italian referee. I really wonder why..
ReplyDelete+ Additionally, Cuadra, who is appointed as the VAR referee, was a VAR referee in Tukish Süper Lig matches played by Turkey's big clubs a few weeks ago..
DeleteIt will be interesting to observe whether Javier Alberola Rojas can emulate Sven Jablonski’s rapid rise last season ...
ReplyDeletePossible last step before promotion for Delajod
ReplyDeleteManagement of Spanish referees: debut for Alberola, it's time for him after a few Europa League group stage games. One can agree that he can raise the level of Spanish officiating.
ReplyDeleteThen, De Burgos is selected again, in this case clearly over Hernandez Hernandez afer his CL play off, and so the referee from Basque Country gets his second overall appearance, after having officiated at Atalanta's home one year ago. Nevertheless, I don't consider him as referee at level for CL games, or at least, better than the other Spanish who don't get games.
It's not a case, and I answer to HB2300, that De Burgos will officiate again Slavia Praha, he did the same one year ago in Bergamo.
So the choice is made based on that, to explain committee's point of view, they think it's a rather expected win by home-side.
As for Sabah, after their first win in CL, they are very, very relaxed and it's the best team for allowing referees at their debut.
Sanchez Martinez sent to Naples, at moment definitely a secondary game, but still with the Italian team, and so a certain experience with a referee coming from a major country. Similar speech can be made for Schaerer, as we discussed very likely back from a small injury, he gets Roma. But they wouldn't have appointed a big name like the Swiss, without an Italian team, even more against an opponent like Slovan Bratislava. It's absoltuely very clear how Rosetti thinks, saving all potential controversies by appointing a more experienced referee than the needed for Italian teams.
About the rest, it's a regular one for Marciniak, again at Liverpool's hom after the famous replacement in KO stage.
Oliver full of big games, since it's hard to officiate the CL final for him, given English teams, this is the management. Impressive.
So the Europa League assignment was just something more, one couldn't have planned another appearance on this week.
Second game for Siebert as well, after last week's performance in Villarreal. It was liked by Rosetti, we can say.
However, the point of criticism can be that with so many options, having already some referees with two games in less than a week could be too much, but that's how Rosetti works.
Gozubuyuk with a second appearance in CL, after MD1, but appointment not reported so far by KNVB site. That's strange, since they alwas report assignments in al circumstances, one should think when they don't do that (it was also guessed by a reaer some days ago here), we should then think about a late choice or replacement.
Nevertheless, we have to wait to know whether Makkelie will appear on Wednesday's set of games to make his first appearance.
Kovacs seems back to officiate as well, I have read about some controversy in his Romanian domestic game, but I think he will not get a big one in CL, either a secondary game or Europa League.
Last but not least: Velasco with Delajod, it seems clear they want the French to replace the retired Bastien as third French Elite referee.
However, on paper, he is given a too easy game for being observed by a committee member in Manchester...
As for the Spanish referees, they didn’t get a single Champions League appointment last round, but there are three of them this time. Their number one, Alejandro Hernández, is yet to make his Champions League debut this season, so I reckon he could be in line for a game in Munich tomorrow.
DeleteAs for Oliver, he was in France for a Europa League game on Thursday, is refereeing in the Premier League today, and is back in France next Tuesday. That’s quite a busy schedule, with not much of a break in between!
Given the performances of Bodo, I think, that's actually a good game for Sanchez, clearly better than Schärer's appointment.
DeleteThe game for de Burgos seems more open to me, I had rather expected an Elite referee there, also given the atmosphere in Istanbul.
Hernandez surely to be expected on Wednesday, also given the AVAR appointment of del Cerro Grande. Not sure about Munich, maybe the game in Como would be more fitting.
And yes, Oliver's schedule really seems unreasonable. I don't know, why he had to get Europa League, if he was considered for the CL game on Tuesday.
Inter vs shakhtar donest also may be officiate spanish referee or portuguese my opinion may portuguese
ReplyDeleteAlso i see here change of del cero grande after wrong penalty with inter
Yes, but a bit strange that Martins is working with Sanchez. If a Portuguese is appointed on Wednesday, you would have expected Martins there.
DeleteI have that feeling that will be spanish or portuguese in milan
DeleteI think The reason that is not appointed grande with sanchez is not that no portuguese referee in wednesday but i think the mistake he made inter vs club with out any intervention
Deletei don't know if you've noticed, but Serdar Gözübüyük keeps getting assigned to matches of the exact same difficulty level. When are we finally going to see him in a big match? The types of games he's been getting for years are always the same level.
ReplyDeleteIt seems as though the Dutch referee is dealing with physical issues or perhaps something else 'off the pitch,' as his career progression appears to have hit a standstill.
DeleteHow did you come to such a conclusion? Because he is constantly being assigned to Champions League matches... If he had physical or mental issues, he wouldn't be assigned to any Champions League matches.
DeleteSpain has carried the day for this first set of appointments.
ReplyDeleteMichael Oliver with a repeat of last year's fixture: PSG Vs Barcelona.
I pray he comes out unscathed
Looking at the referee assignments so far, if it will be a final without any english teams, Oliver seems almost predestined to referee it.
ReplyDeleteRojas continues his rise through the UEFA ranks, and I believe he will very soon become Spain's number one referee.
Delajod is the next French name moving up, climbing to the number three spot behind Turpin and Letexier. The French Football Federation deserves praise for achieving the best results in promoting successful young referees.
As for the rest, the assignments seem perfectly logical. Any claims that only certain referees officiate specific teams seem somewhat baseless to me.
Honestly, it's hard to believe that Hernandez Hernandez will appear in Champions League, after three Spanish referee on Tuesday, even more unlikely to get a game like Bayern - Arsenal (but then of course everything is possible...).
ReplyDeleteI think he could be in Europa League.
Also, not intervening in Inter - Brugge was a fully correct choice, not a mistake, penalty by Saggi supportable / correct decision.
A Portuguese name for Wednesday is Godinho, he could get again Inter at home after last years' appearance in Inter - Kairat.