Champions League Referees: Who Officiates, How They're Chosen and Paid
UEFA’s Referees Committee appoints the officials for every Champions League match, and only referees on FIFA’s international list are eligible. The 2026/27 pool includes Szymon Marciniak, Michael Oliver, Davide Massa, Sven Jablonski, Daniel Siebert, Clément Turpin and François Letexier. Each match gets a full team: a referee, two assistants, a fourth official, video match officials and, when appointed, a reserve assistant. This guide covers who they are, how appointments work, what each official does, what they earn and who took charge of the 2026 final.
TL;DR
- The UEFA Referees Committee appoints the referee team for every Champions League match, and its decisions are final under the competition regulations.
- A standard team is a referee, two assistant referees, a fourth official, two or more VARs if appointed, and a reserve assistant referee if appointed.
- UEFA publishes appointments matchday by matchday, so the officials for a given fixture are confirmed shortly before kick-off.
- A 2021 report put top-tier Champions League match fees above £5,500 per game; UEFA does not publish individual fee schedules in its budget.
- Daniel Siebert of Germany refereed the 2026 Champions League final.
Table of Contents
- Who referees Champions League games
- How UEFA appoints the referee team
- Who is on the referee team
- How much Champions League referees are paid
- The 2026 Champions League final referee
- Reading referee statistics
- Our perspective
- Follow every match with BetsyScore
- FAQ
- Sources
Who referees Champions League games
Champions League matches are officiated by referees selected by UEFA from across its member associations. They come from every major league and from smaller footballing nations alike. UEFA’s own appointments page for the 2026/27 season lists the officials named for the league phase, and its coverage runs matchday by matchday. Fixtures for later matchdays appear without referee names until UEFA confirms them.
Among the referees named for Matchdays 1 to 3 of the 2026/27 league phase, UEFA’s page includes:
| Country | Referees named |
|---|---|
| Portugal | Luis Godinho |
| Switzerland | Sandro Schärer, Urs Schnyder |
| Italy | Simone Sozza, Davide Massa, Marco Guida |
| Poland | Szymon Marciniak |
| Bulgaria | Georgi Kabakov |
| England | Michael Oliver, Chris Kavanagh |
| Germany | Sven Jablonski, Felix Zwayer, Tobias Stieler, Daniel Siebert |
| Serbia | Nenad Minaković, Rade Obrenović |
| Ukraine | Mykola Balakin |
| Norway | Espen Eskås |
| Sweden | Glenn Nyberg |
| Spain | Jesús Gil Manzano, Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea, Javier Alberola Rojas |
| Turkey | Halil Umut Meler |
| Netherlands | Serdar Gözübüyük |
| France | Willy Delajod, François Letexier, Clément Turpin |
| Austria | Sebastian Gishamer |
| Croatia | Igor Pajač |
| Malta | Rohit Saggi (the page lists him among the referees; his association is not stated there) |
| Ireland | Nicholas Walsh |
| Lithuania | Donatas Rumšas |
| Slovakia | Ivan Kružliak |
The list is a snapshot of the early rounds, not the full pool for the season. Names are added as UEFA appoints officials for later matchdays and the knockout rounds.
Why the same names keep returning
A few officials appear in the biggest fixtures year after year. That is a consequence of how UEFA selects, not a tradition: the Referees Committee chooses the team for each match, and it assigns the most demanding games to the referees it rates most highly. Statistical pages that track every referee in the competition, with games officiated, yellow cards, red cards and cards per game, make the pattern easy to see over a season.
One structural rule shapes the lists above. Under UEFA’s 2026/27 Champions League regulations, only referees on FIFA’s official list can be appointed. Every name in the table has therefore met FIFA’s international standard before UEFA considers them for a match.
How UEFA appoints the referee team
The appointment rule sits in Article 59.01 of the competition regulations, in force for 2026/27 from 1 March 2026. The UEFA Referees Committee appoints the referee team for each match, and its decisions are final. Clubs cannot request or reject an official.
Three practical points follow from the regulations:
- Travel. UEFA arranges for the referee team to arrive in the country of the venue the day before the match.
- Replacement. If a referee, assistant referee or VAR becomes unfit or incapacitated, the replacement follows the procedures in the IFAB Laws of the Game.
- Reduced team. If necessary, the match is played without VARs and/or without a fourth official rather than being postponed.
When appointments are announced
UEFA publishes officials in batches for each matchday on its dedicated page, and the page is updated as each round is confirmed. If you want to know who has a specific game, check that page on the days before the fixture. The announcement is typically made shortly before the match, so the name is rarely known weeks ahead for league-phase games. Finals are the exception: the 2026 final team was announced on 11 May 2026, as described below.
Who is on the referee team
Article 58.02 of the 2026/27 regulations defines the Champions League referee team as a referee, two assistant referees, a fourth official, two or more VARs if appointed, and a reserve assistant referee if appointed. Each role has a defined function under Law 6 of the Laws of the Game, published by IFAB.
| Official | Main responsibilities |
|---|---|
| Referee | Takes the final decisions on the pitch and has overall authority over the match |
| Assistant referees | Indicate when the ball has left the field and when a player in an offside position may be penalised |
| Fourth official | Supervises the substitution procedure and the technical area |
| VAR | Reviews specific incidents and advises the referee |
| Reserve assistant referee | Steps in if an assistant becomes unable to continue |
IFAB’s Law 6 states that the referee makes the final decisions and that the other officials assist, including with records of time, goals and misconduct. IFAB’s glossary adds that the on-field match officials, meaning the referee, assistant referees, fourth official and reserve assistant referee, operate under the direct authority of the referee.
What VAR can and cannot review
The video assistant referee is limited by protocol. Under Law 6, VAR may assist only for a clear and obvious error or a serious missed incident in four categories: goal or no goal, penalty or no penalty, direct red card, and mistaken identity. Yellow cards, corners and throw-ins are outside its scope. IFAB’s glossary describes this as ensuring the technology assists rather than replaces the judgment of the on-field referee.
This limit explains why a contentious decision is often not overturned: if the referee’s call is within the range of reasonable judgment, the VAR does not intervene. For a closer look at one of the most disputed areas in European football, see our guide to handball decisions, VAR and rules.
How much Champions League referees are paid
UEFA does not publish a per-match fee table for its officials, so figures come from press reporting. A 2021 report stated that Champions League referees in the Elite tier were paid over £5,500 per game, Elite Development referees £3,800, and bottom-tier officials £700 per game. That report is from 2021, so treat the amounts as a historical reference rather than a current schedule.
The only official figure on the overall cost is in UEFA’s budget. For 2024/25, UEFA budgeted €59.188 million for referees and match officers. The total covers entitlements for referees, daily allowances and travel expenses, and it spans all UEFA competitions rather than the Champions League alone. The same document lists technical installations and VAR software for senior men’s club competitions under information and communications technology costs, so VAR infrastructure is budgeted separately from referee fees.
In short, the sum is not a salary table. Most elite referees also hold a domestic contract with their national association, and the Champions League fee is paid on top for each appointment.
The 2026 Champions League final referee
The UEFA Referees Committee named Daniel Siebert of Germany as the referee for the 2026 final. The appointment, along with the full officiating team, was announced on 11 May 2026 together with the teams for UEFA’s other club finals. Siebert also appears among the Germany-based officials on UEFA’s 2026/27 league-phase list, so a final appointment is a mark of consistent assignments at the top level, not a one-off.
Finals follow the same team structure as any other match, with a full complement of assistants, a fourth official and VAR officials. The difference is that UEFA appoints them well in advance, usually in the days or weeks before the match, and announces the whole team in one release.
Reading referee statistics
Referee statistics are useful, but only with context. The commonly tracked figures are games officiated, yellow cards, second yellows, red cards and cards per game. Three cautions help when you read them:
- Sample size. A referee with three appearances in a season gives you a noisy average. Look for officials with at least a full season of matches.
- Fixture mix. Cards depend heavily on the teams. A referee assigned to a tense knockout tie will naturally show more cards than one in a one-sided league-phase game.
- Penalty and VAR context. Penalty counts reflect incidents inside the box and VAR involvement, not just the referee’s tendency.
Tipsters and analysts often use cards per game when assessing booking markets, and match totals can shift if a more card-heavy referee is named late. That is a reason to check the appointment before you finalise a preview.
Our perspective
We treat the referee as one of the variables around a match, not a headline in itself. A team’s win probability is driven first by expected goals, recent form and head-to-head records, and those inputs explain most of what a model can say before kick-off.
What the officials add is a layer of context. Once UEFA confirms the team, a reader can see who will manage the match and how that referee has handled cards and penalties earlier in the competition. We think that information belongs next to the scores, lineups and momentum data, not on a separate page, so fans can read everything in one place.
Our platform is built to make that practical. Live scores refresh every few seconds, our AI predictions show win-probability percentages, and the momentum view shows which side is on top minute by minute. When a refereeing decision changes a match, the shift appears in the momentum read as it happens, which gives fans a clear record of what changed and when.
Aria
Follow every match with BetsyScore
Once the referee team is confirmed, the next question is how the match is likely to play out. BetsyScore combines live scores that refresh every few seconds with AI-powered win probabilities built from expected goals, recent form and head-to-head records, plus a minute-by-minute momentum read.
See our Champions League predictions for upcoming fixtures, follow games as they happen on the live scores page, or browse AI predictions across all competitions. For league-phase context, our Champions League standings guide explains the table, rules and tiebreakers, and our piece on the role of UEFA rankings shows how coefficients shape the competition. Match pages such as Liverpool vs Villarreal and Inter vs Club Brugge carry predictions and lineups.
FAQ
Who refs the Champions League games?
The UEFA Referees Committee appoints a referee team for each match from referees on FIFA’s official list. For 2026/27, officials named on UEFA’s pages include Szymon Marciniak, Michael Oliver, Davide Massa, Sven Jablonski, Daniel Siebert, Clément Turpin and François Letexier. UEFA publishes the names matchday by matchday.
How much do Champions League refs get paid?
UEFA does not publish a fee schedule. A 2021 report said Elite-tier referees earned over £5,500 per game, Elite Development referees £3,800 and bottom-tier officials £700. UEFA’s 2024/25 budget set €59.188 million aside for referees and match officers across its competitions, covering fees, allowances and travel.
Who refereed the 2026 Champions League final?
Daniel Siebert of Germany refereed the final. UEFA’s Referees Committee announced the appointment and the full officiating team on 11 May 2026.
Who is on a Champions League referee team?
The regulations specify a referee, two assistant referees, a fourth official, two or more VARs if appointed, and a reserve assistant referee if appointed. The referee makes the final decisions, and VAR may only step in for clear and obvious errors or serious missed incidents involving goals, penalties, direct red cards or mistaken identity.
Sources
- UEFA: Who is the referee? Which officials are in charge of the UEFA Champions League
- UEFA Champions League Regulations 2026/27, Article 58: Referee team
- UEFA Champions League Regulations 2026/27, Article 59: Appointment and replacement of referees
- IFAB Law 6: The Other Match Officials
- IFAB Glossary: Referee Terms
- Goal.com: How much are Premier League referees paid?
- UEFA budget 2024/25
- UEFA: Referee teams for 2026 UEFA club competition finals announced