Who is the referee for the Champions League final?

The Champions League trophy is seen ahead of the UEFA Champions League Final 2025 between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Internazionale Milano at Munich Football Arena on May 29, 2025 in Munich,
The Champions League trophy is seen ahead of the UEFA Champions League Final 2025 between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Internazionale Milano at Munich Football Arena on May 29, 2025 in Munich, (Image credit: Michael Regan - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

The last thing anyone wants in the Champions League final is a bad refereeing performance.

A little bit of VAR drama wouldn't go a miss... as long as it doesn't ruin the game.

So the important question who is refereeing the biggest game in the club football calendar this year?

Who is the refereeing the Champions League final?

Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs

Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs (Image credit: Getty Images)

Istvan Kovacs will be the man in the centre of the action on Saturday night.

The Romanian referee took charge of one game at Euro 2020, and officiated Manchester City's 4-3 Champions League semi-final win over Real Madrid at the Etihad in 2023.

Tammy Abraham celebrates with the UEFA Europa Conference League trophy after Roma's win over Feyenoord in the final in May 2022.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

He also took charge of the inaugural Europa Conference League final between Roma and Feyenoord, which Roma won 1-0.

He was fourth official for the last time Inter Milan reached a Champions League final in 2023 and took charge of the Europa League final last year, which Atalanta won 3-0 against Bayer Leverkusen.

His assistant referees are Mihai Marica and Ferencz Tunyog who are both also Romanian. Fourth official is Joao Pinheiro.

The VAR referee is Dennis Higler from the Netherlands, with Romanian Catalin Popa and fellow Dutchman Pol van Boekel his assistants.

Ewan Gennery
Freelance writer

Ewan is a freelance writer and social media manager who has worked for The Athletic, GOAL, 90min and OneFootball. From Gelsenkirchen to Riyadh, he has covered some of the biggest games in football in his three years in the industry.