Champions League Qualifying Referees: UEFA Appointments for the First Round First Legs
The 2026/27 UEFA Champions League season begins this week with the first qualifying round first legs on 7 and 8 July. While the World Cup is still dominating headlines, UEFA club football is already returning, and the referees will again be under the spotlight. According to UEFA regulations, the Referees Committee appoints the referee team for each match, and only FIFA-listed referees are eligible.
Tuesday 7 July referee appointments
Sabah vs The New Saints
Referee: Patryk Gryckiewicz, Poland
VAR: Kornel Paszkiewicz, Poland
Lincoln Red Imps vs Inter Club d’Escaldes
Referee: João António Ferreira Gonçalves, Portugal
VAR: Fábio Melo, Portugal
Ararat-Armenia vs Riga FC
Referee: Klym Zabroda, Ukraine
VAR: Denys Shurman, Ukraine
Kauno Žalgiris vs Drita
Referee: Ívar Orri Kristjánsson, Iceland
VAR: Jan Boterberg, Belgium
Vardar vs KuPS Kuopio
Referee: Kadir Sağlam, Turkey
VAR: Onur Özütoprak, Turkey
Floriana vs Shamrock Rovers
Referee: Benjamin Brand, Germany
VAR: Benjamin Cortus, Germany
Tre Fiori vs Larne
Referee: Artem Gasparyan, Armenia
VAR: Ángelos Evangelou, Greece
Borac vs Levski Sofia
Referee: Mehmet Türkmen, Turkey
VAR: Daniele Doveri, Italy
KÍ Klaksvík vs Atert Bissen
Referee: Dominik Starý, Czechia
VAR: Tomáš Kocourek, Czechia
Víkingur Reykjavík vs Győri ETO
Referee: Romain Lissorgue, France
VAR: Bastien Dechepy, France
Wednesday 8 July referee appointments
Kairat Almaty vs Sutjeska Nikšić
Referee: Dmytro Panchyshyn, Ukraine
VAR: Mykola Balakin, Ukraine
Flora Tallinn vs Iberia Tbilisi
Referee: Sandi Putros, Denmark
VAR: Mads-Kristoffer Kristoffersen, Denmark
ML Vitebsk vs Universitatea Craiova
Referee: Luka Bilbija, Bosnia and Herzegovina
VAR: Antoni Bandić, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Petrocub vs Egnatia
Referee: Saiat Qarabaev, Kazakhstan
VAR: Aidyn Tasybaev, Kazakhstan
The full match official teams, including assistants, fourth officials, VAR and AVAR appointments, were listed by Law 5 The Referee.
Final Verdict
The Champions League is back, and UEFA has already trusted a wide range of referees from across Europe for the opening qualifying round. These matches may not have the global spotlight of the later rounds, but for referees they matter a lot. Strong performances now can lead to bigger UEFA appointments later in the season.
