Bundesliga Referees 2026/27: New Officials, Retirements and 2025/26 Ratings

The list of Bundesliga referees for the 2026/27 season will look significantly different after one of the biggest changes to Germany’s top-flight officiating group in recent years.

Four experienced referees have ended their careers on the field, two officials have been promoted from the 2. Bundesliga and the total size of the top-flight panel has been reduced from 24 to 22.

The changes mean more than simply replacing familiar names. The Bundesliga is losing several officials with extensive experience in major matches, difficult stadiums and high-pressure VAR situations. At the same time, the DFB is attempting to create more regular appointments for the referees who remain.

Dr. Max Burda and Richard Hempel are the two new referees promoted to the Bundesliga. Deniz Aytekin, Patrick Ittrich, Frank Willenborg and Tobias Welz will no longer referee matches on the field during the 2026/27 season. The DFB confirmed that all four departures are career endings rather than performance-related demotions.

What has changed in the Bundesliga referee list?

The DFB’s most important structural decision was to reduce the Bundesliga referee panel from 24 officials to 22.

Two referees have been promoted, but four have retired. Instead of filling every vacant position, the DFB decided to operate with a smaller group.

Knut Kircher, the managing director responsible for sport and communications at DFB Schiri GmbH, explained that the smaller panel should allow individual referees to receive more appointments and therefore gain more regular match practice.

That reasoning is understandable. A referee cannot build consistency by working only occasionally. Regular Bundesliga appointments help officials maintain their physical rhythm, decision-making speed and familiarity with the league’s intensity.

However, a smaller panel also creates pressure. Injuries, poor form and international appointments can quickly reduce availability. The remaining referees will need to manage heavier workloads across the Bundesliga, Bundesliga 2, DFB-Pokal, UEFA competitions and VAR duties.

Who are the new Bundesliga referees for 2026/27?

Dr. Max Burda

Dr. Max Burda has earned promotion after working in the 2. Bundesliga since 2021.

Burda represents the next stage of the DFB’s referee development system. Rather than moving an inexperienced official directly into the top flight, the DFB has allowed him to build several seasons of professional experience before adding him to the Bundesliga group.

He has already attracted attention for his handling of difficult situations. FIFA refereeing chairman Pierluigi Collina previously praised Burda and fellow official Cristian Ballweg for their response to discriminatory incidents during DFB-Pokal matches.

Promotion does not mean Burda will immediately receive Germany’s biggest fixtures. His first Bundesliga season is likely to be managed carefully, beginning with matches that allow the DFB’s technical observers to assess his positioning, disciplinary control, communication and VAR cooperation at the higher speed of the top division.

The step from the 2. Bundesliga remains substantial. Bundesliga players move the ball more quickly, contacts inside the penalty area are more difficult to judge and every major decision is analysed from multiple camera angles.

Burda’s challenge will be to maintain his natural refereeing style without becoming overly dependent on VAR.

Richard Hempel

Richard Hempel is the second new addition to the Bundesliga referee list for 2026/27.

Hempel joined the 2. Bundesliga panel in 2022 and has now been promoted after four seasons at that level. The DFB’s decision suggests that his performances were considered sufficiently consistent across multiple campaigns rather than being based on a short run of strong matches.

As one of the younger officials in the new panel, Hempel represents a long-term investment.

His first season should not be judged only by whether he avoids controversy. Every referee will eventually face a disputed penalty, red card or VAR intervention. The more important question will be how he responds after difficult moments and whether his decision-making remains stable across the entire match.

A promoted referee must also demonstrate authority without trying to manufacture it. Players usually recognise uncertainty quickly. Clear communication and a calm physical presence will therefore be as important as Hempel’s technical accuracy.

Which Bundesliga referees have retired?

Deniz Aytekin

The departure of Deniz Aytekin is the most significant.

Aytekin became one of German football’s most recognisable and widely respected officials. His strengths were not limited to identifying fouls or showing cards. He was particularly admired for preventative refereeing, communication and his ability to reduce tension before it developed into a larger confrontation.

His final Bundesliga appointment came in Bayern Munich’s season-ending match against Cologne. It followed his 250th Bundesliga appearance earlier in the campaign.

Aytekin’s retirement removes a referee who could control difficult matches through personality and relationships with players. That type of authority cannot be replaced simply by promoting another official.

The Bundesliga now needs referees capable of understanding when a public warning is enough, when a card is necessary and when speaking to a captain can prevent a match from becoming unmanageable.

Patrick Ittrich

Patrick Ittrich’s retirement is especially interesting because he finished the season as the best-rated Bundesliga referee in kicker’s public grading system.

Ittrich received an average grade of 2.50 across 11 assessed matches. In Germany’s traditional grading scale, a lower number represents a stronger performance.

This means the referee who ranked first in the 2025/26 media ratings will not return for 2026/27.

Ittrich was known for direct communication and a relatively open approach when discussing refereeing decisions. His departure is therefore a loss both on the field and in the wider effort to make officiating more understandable to supporters.

His retirement also demonstrates that the annual referee list cannot be interpreted as a simple promotion and relegation table. Age, personal decisions, physical demands and career planning all influence whether an official continues.

Frank Willenborg

Frank Willenborg also ends his active career after establishing himself as one of the league’s most reliable referees.

Willenborg rarely appeared interested in becoming the main personality in a match. His strongest performances tended to be based on calm control, sensible foul selection and a willingness to allow the game to develop when intervention was unnecessary.

His retirement removes another experienced official from the middle of the panel, precisely the type of referee who could be trusted with demanding fixtures without attracting unnecessary attention.

Tobias Welz

Tobias Welz will no longer referee matches on the pitch, but he is not leaving elite officiating entirely.

The DFB confirmed that Welz will move into a specialised video-assistant role. He will join Patrick Alt and Dr. Robert Kampka among the officials moving from on-field refereeing to dedicated VAR work. The new season will begin with 12 specialised video assistants.

This is part of the DFB’s broader strategy of separating certain responsibilities. Being a strong on-field referee does not automatically make someone the best VAR, and an excellent video official does not necessarily need to remain active in the middle.

VAR requires a different skill set: rapid video analysis, clear communication, knowledge of the intervention threshold and the discipline to avoid re-refereeing subjective incidents.

Welz’s experience should be valuable, but the success of the role will depend on whether he applies the “clear and obvious error” standard consistently.

Are any referees being removed because of poor performances?

No Bundesliga referee has been publicly demoted from the 2025/26 panel because of performance.

The four officials who are leaving have ended their active on-field careers. All other returning referees have retained their places, including those who appeared near the bottom of kicker’s media ratings.

This is important because kicker grades are not official DFB assessments.

The DFB evaluates referees through its own observers, technical analysis, fitness data, match difficulty, key-match incidents, positioning, disciplinary management, teamwork and VAR cooperation. Public media grades offer useful context, but they do not reveal the complete internal evaluation process.

A referee who receives a poor media grade may have made one highly visible mistake in an otherwise strong performance. Another official may avoid a major controversy but still receive concerns internally over positioning, communication or foul recognition.

Bundesliga referee ratings for the 2025/26 season

According to kicker’s end-of-season grades, Patrick Ittrich finished as the best-rated Bundesliga referee of 2025/26.

The leading officials were:

Rank	Referee	Kicker average	Rated matches
1	Patrick Ittrich	2.50	11
2	Dr. Matthias Jöllenbeck	2.68	14
3	Benjamin Brand	2.73	15
4	Felix Zwayer	2.74	17
5	Sven Jablonski	2.85	17
6	Sascha Stegemann	2.86	14
7	Bastian Dankert	2.89	14

Ittrich’s first-place grade was followed by Matthias Jöllenbeck in second and Benjamin Brand in third. Felix Zwayer, Sven Jablonski, Sascha Stegemann and Bastian Dankert completed the leading seven.

Patrick Ittrich: the best-rated referee is leaving

Ittrich’s position at the top was not based on a single outstanding match. An average of 2.50 across 11 appearances indicates a season with relatively few major errors and generally positive match control.

His departure creates an unusual situation. The Bundesliga is not replacing an official who had fallen below the required standard. It is losing the referee who received the strongest public average.

That increases the responsibility placed on the next group of officials.

Matthias Jöllenbeck: the strongest returning referee

With Ittrich retiring, Matthias Jöllenbeck is the highest-ranked returning referee from the 2025/26 kicker list.

His 2.68 average across 14 matches places him in an important position entering the new season.

Jöllenbeck is not normally discussed as loudly as some of Germany’s better-known international referees. That may actually reflect one of his strengths. Referees often perform best when the post-match debate focuses on the players rather than the officials.

The next challenge is maintaining that standard while receiving more high-profile appointments.

Benjamin Brand: a referee moving towards the elite group

Benjamin Brand’s third-place finish may be the most strategically important result for the DFB.

His 2.73 average across 15 matches supported the DFB’s decision to nominate him for the FIFA referee list from 2026. Brand replaced Robert Schröder as an international referee, while Schröder remained internationally listed as a specialised video official.

The promotion means Brand can now work in UEFA competitions and begin building international experience.

However, international status creates new pressure. He must manage additional travel, different interpretations and matches involving teams whose playing styles may be very different from the Bundesliga.

Felix Zwayer: high rating under the greatest scrutiny

Felix Zwayer finished fourth with an average of 2.74 across 17 appearances, one of the highest workloads among the leading referees.

Zwayer remains one of Germany’s most prominent officials and is regularly trusted with major domestic and international fixtures. His performance level is therefore assessed under far more public scrutiny than that of a referee handling fewer headline matches.

Finishing fourth while receiving difficult appointments indicates that his domestic campaign was generally strong.

Sven Jablonski, Sascha Stegemann and Bastian Dankert

Jablonski completed 17 assessed matches with a 2.85 average, while Stegemann recorded 2.86 across 14 appearances. Dankert followed closely with 2.89 from 14.

All three should remain important members of the 2026/27 panel.

Dankert’s status is particularly interesting because his value extends beyond his work as a referee. FIFA selected him as a video assistant for the 2026 World Cup final, demonstrating the level of international trust in his VAR expertise.

Who was the lowest-rated Bundesliga referee?

Robin Braun finished last in kicker’s 2025/26 ranking.

Braun received an average grade of 3.72 across nine appearances. Timo Gerach was ranked 23rd, Sören Storks 22nd and Florian Exner 21st. Storks received an average of 3.46 across 12 assessed matches.

Braun’s position requires context.

The 2025/26 season was his first full campaign as an established Bundesliga-panel referee after he had previously received trial appointments. A small number of difficult matches can heavily affect an average based on only nine appearances.

The DFB has retained him for 2026/27, showing that its internal assessment did not conclude that he should be removed.

That does not mean the ratings should be ignored. Braun will need a stronger second season, particularly in major decision accuracy and overall match control. But it would be unfair to treat one difficult debut campaign as a final judgement on his potential.

Young referees develop through exposure to high-level matches. The DFB’s responsibility is to offer support without protecting officials from proper accountability.

Full Bundesliga referee list for 2026/27

The 22 referees eligible to officiate Bundesliga fixtures are:

Florian Badstübner, Benjamin Brand, Dr. Robin Braun, Dr. Max Burda, Bastian Dankert, Christian Dingert, Florian Exner, Timo Gerach, Robert Hartmann, Richard Hempel, Sven Jablonski, Dr. Matthias Jöllenbeck, Harm Osmers, Martin Petersen, Tobias Reichel, Daniel Schlager, Robert Schröder, Daniel Siebert, Sascha Stegemann, Tobias Stieler, Sören Storks and Felix Zwayer.

This list contains a mixture of established international officials, experienced domestic referees and younger names still developing at Bundesliga level.

Changes to the assistant referee group

The changes are not limited to the referees in the middle.

Steven Greif and Julius Martenstein have been promoted to the Bundesliga assistant-referee group. They replace Mark Borsch, Thomas Gorniak and Christian Leicher.

Assistant referees remain essential despite semi-automated offside technology.

Technology can assist with the final offside judgement, but assistants must still monitor offences, ball-out-of-play decisions and incidents outside the referee’s viewing angle. They must also delay the flag correctly during promising attacks without allowing clearly offside situations to continue unnecessarily.

The best assistant-referee performances are rarely noticed. One incorrect flag, however, can dominate the entire match.

New Bundesliga VAR rules for 2026/27

The officials will also work with an expanded VAR protocol.

VAR can correct a clearly wrong second yellow card

From 2026/27, VAR can intervene when a player receives a clearly incorrect second yellow card that results in dismissal.

This is an important but narrow change.

VAR will not search for every missed possible second yellow. It can assist when the referee has incorrectly shown the caution that directly removes a player from the match.

The distinction is designed to correct an unjust dismissal without turning every caution into a video-review situation.

Expanded mistaken-identity intervention

VAR can also assist when the referee cautions the wrong player, including cases where the mistaken player belongs to the other team.

This should be relatively uncontroversial. Mistaken identity is a factual error and should be corrected whenever video evidence provides a clear answer.

VAR and corner-kick decisions

The Bundesliga’s 2026/27 information also states that VAR’s role will expand to clearly incorrect corner-kick decisions.

The intervention must be quick. VAR should not delay every corner while searching through multiple camera angles. The purpose is to correct an obvious mistake immediately, not to introduce a new lengthy review process before ordinary restarts.

This will require discipline from video officials. A marginal touch should not produce a long delay. The correction should be limited to cases where the available image provides an immediate and certain answer.

New countdowns

The new season will also bring visible countdowns for the execution of throw-ins and goal kicks, while substituted players will be expected to leave the field more quickly.

These measures are intended to reduce time-wasting and make the referee’s management more predictable.

The success of the changes will depend on consistent enforcement. A countdown that is applied strictly in one match but ignored in another will only create a new source of controversy.

Referee announcements and semi-automated offside

During the 2025/26 campaign, the Bundesliga introduced in-stadium referee announcements for certain VAR decisions and used semi-automated offside technology.

The announcements were intended to explain why a decision had changed following a review, while semi-automated technology provided additional assistance for offside judgements.

Both developments should help transparency, but neither removes the need for human judgement.

Semi-automated offside can identify player positions. It cannot decide whether an offside player interfered with an opponent in every subjective situation.

Similarly, an announcement can tell supporters what the referee decided. It does not automatically explain why the intervention threshold was met.

The next step should be better explanations rather than simply more technology.

The VAR Verdict rating and analysis

The strongest story entering the new season is not the arrival of two referees. It is the loss of four experienced officials at the same time.

Aytekin brought elite-level match management. Ittrich finished first in the public ratings. Willenborg offered calm reliability, while Welz provided long-term Bundesliga experience and will now move into VAR work.

Burda and Hempel should not be expected to replace all of that immediately.

The DFB’s decision to reduce the group to 22 is logical if it produces more regular appointments. Referees need match practice, and a smaller panel can create clearer development pathways.

But the strategy carries risk. The DFB must avoid overloading the same senior referees or promoting the newcomers too quickly into matches they are not yet ready to control.

Our view is that Matthias Jöllenbeck, Benjamin Brand and Sven Jablonski are particularly important for the next phase.

Jöllenbeck enters the season as the highest-rated returning referee. Brand has now joined the FIFA list, while Jablonski combines a strong domestic rating with substantial Bundesliga experience.

Felix Zwayer, Daniel Siebert and Tobias Stieler will continue to carry major international responsibility. However, the future of German refereeing cannot depend only on the most recognisable names.

The DFB needs a wider group capable of handling Der Klassiker, title-deciding matches, relegation fixtures and emotionally difficult games.

What should improve in 2026/27?

The Bundesliga does not need VAR to intervene more often simply for the sake of activity.

It needs clearer and more consistent intervention.

The principal areas requiring improvement are:

• The threshold for penalty-area contact
• Consistency in handball interpretation
• Serious-foul-play assessments
• VAR intervention for subjective incidents
• Communication with players and supporters
• Protection against dissent and mass confrontation
• Faster factual reviews
• More predictable application of time-wasting rules

Public confidence will not be restored by claiming that every decision was technically supportable. When an error occurs, the DFB should explain it directly.

Transparency protects referees more effectively than silence.

Final verdict

The Bundesliga referees for 2026/27 begin the season in a period of transition.

Dr. Max Burda and Richard Hempel have earned their opportunity after developing in the 2. Bundesliga. Their promotions are deserved, but their integration must be patient and carefully managed.

The departures of Deniz Aytekin, Patrick Ittrich, Frank Willenborg and Tobias Welz remove a significant amount of experience. Ittrich’s retirement is especially notable because he finished as the best-rated referee of 2025/26.

Matthias Jöllenbeck is the highest-ranked returning official, while Benjamin Brand’s promotion to the FIFA list confirms his growing importance. Felix Zwayer, Sven Jablonski, Sascha Stegemann and Bastian Dankert also enter the season after strong domestic ratings.

At the other end, Robin Braun will be under pressure to improve after finishing last in kicker’s ranking. However, one difficult season should be treated as part of his development rather than proof that he cannot succeed at Bundesliga level.

The DFB has chosen a smaller panel, greater specialisation and expanded VAR powers. The structure is reasonable.

Now the decisions must become more consistent.