How are matches refereed in UEFA competitions this season?
Wednesday, September 2, 2026
Article summary
UEFA director for refereeing Roberto Rosetti presented updated Laws of the Game, how they will be interpreted in our competitions and our approach to video assistant referee (VAR) interventions during a special media briefing in Monaco.
Article top media content
Article body
Clarity and consistency in refereeing decisions are crucial to European football's on-going growth and success.
Ahead of the UEFA Champions League draw in Monaco, UEFA director of refereeing Roberto Rosetti outlined how updated Laws of the Game are being implemented in UEFA competitions (also published in UEFA Circular Letter No46 on 2 July 2026), as well as how we are working to ensure consistent application of VAR across Europe.
Earlier this summer, Rosetti met with counterparts from all 55 European national football associations to agree and align on key principles that should be adopted, with every club competing in UEFA competitions to receive a briefing before the league phase action kicks off.
"The idea now is to share what we have already shared with our national associations and their chiefs of refereeing," Rosetti said. "We want to implement the same Laws of the Game not only in UEFA matches but across the whole of European football.
"We must be consistent on the pitch and aligned across all competitions, so that if you go to Azerbaijan, England, Finland, France or Türkiye, we are aligned, we are united and we are working together."
Below, we examine how new Laws of the Game will be implemented within our competitions this season.
Reducing unnecessary delays
Referees will support measures that speed up the restart of the game, protect its intensity, reduce unnecessary delays and avoid long added time.
"We will be very strict on these situations," Rosetti said. "We like to speed up the restart of the game, and don’t like long additional time to be added to matches. All the new laws about timewasting have already shown positive results in both domestic and UEFA competitions, with more time where the ball is in play."
When a player is substituted, they must now leave the field of play within ten seconds. Failure to do so will mean the incoming player must wait until the first stoppage after one minute has elapsed following the restart of play.
Additionally, when a game is stopped for a player to receive treatment, that player must leave the field for one minute, from when the ball goes back into play. This does not count for goalkeepers, or when an outfield player and goalkeeper collide and both need attention, with additional exceptions including when the injured player suffers a foul that results in a yellow or red card for the offending opponent, two team-mates are both injured in a collision, or a penalty is awarded and the injured player will be the taker.
Delaying taking a throw-in or goal kick may result in possession being a corner for the opposing team, with the referee providing a five-second countdown for players to get the ball back into play.
New VAR measures
There are new areas where VAR may now intervene to assist the on-field referee with decision-making.
Mistaken identity can be reviewed by VAR when the referee sanctions the wrong player for an offence penalised by the referee. The judgment on the offence itself cannot be reviewed, with the review limited solely to correctly identifying the offending player.
Clearly incorrectly awarded second yellow cards can now be reviewed by the VAR, who may invite the referee to conduct an on-field review and cancel the yellow card, allowing the player to stay on the field.
VAR can now intervene when the attacking team has committed a clear offence before the ball comes into play at a free-kick or corner, whereby it has a direct impact on the resulting goal, penalty kick being awarded or another sanction. Where VAR intervenes, the goal, penalty or sanction will be cancelled, and the free-kick or corner will be retaken.
When the ball is stationary within the goal area and is kicked by any player, the goal kick is considered to have been taken. If a team-mate of the goalkeeper then deliberately touches the ball with the hand or arm inside the penalty area, a penalty should be awarded. This decision has been made to ensure consistency and avoid differing judgments, establishing a uniform application of the Laws of the Game in this respect.
Optional law changes
The IFAB, football's lawmakers, confirmed that some of this season's amendments in question are "competition options", to be implemented at the discretion of the relevant competition organiser. Below are how these optional rules will be treated in UEFA competitions.
In UEFA matches, incorrectly awarded corners will only be reversed to a goal kick in very clear cases, where the review can be completed immediately and without delaying the restart of play. An incorrectly awarded goal kick cannot be changed to a corner.
We will NOT exercise the option to treat players covering their mouths when speaking to an opponent, by itself, as a red card offence. However, referees may consider covering the mouth to conceal communication as an act of unsporting behaviour and show a yellow card. Further disciplinary investigations or proceedings may follow as a consequence of such behaviour.
We will not exercise the option to show a red card to players leaving the field in protest. However, we underline the principle now included in the Laws of the Game that "...where a team is responsible for a match not continuing and/or being abandoned because it has fewer than seven players, the match will be forfeited by that team, subject to the relevant competition regulations" (IFAB circular letter No33). This principle – in a more comprehensive notion, not limited to the number of available players – is reflected in all UEFA competition regulations.
Referee – Captain cooperation
We will continue to build on the approach successfully introduced at UEFA EURO 2024, where the cooperation protocol between team captains and referees is fostering greater respect for match officials.
Referees will continue to offer information to captains about key match decisions, and it is only this player that should approach or speak with the referee, and always in a respectful manner. Any player ignoring this or displaying unsporting and disrespectful behaviour may be shown a yellow card.
A clear and consistent VAR protocol
VAR is an essential tool for elite football and exists to correct clear and obvious errors. As its use continues to evolve, it is important that referees implement a clear, consistent review process.
At UEFA, we believe in minimal interference for maximum benefit, and are committed to finding greater consistency in the application of VAR, working alongside our national associations to put referees on the pitch back at the centre of decision-making.
This means applying a consistent approach towards VAR interventions, and to help officials, leagues, clubs, players and fans understand how reviews should work, we have published a standardised VAR review process to outline how VAR decisions should be taken.
Clear Line: A new guide to referee decisions in European football
Also this summer, we launched the Clear Line platform, a video library providing open access to the guidance we give to referees and VARs to help them apply the Laws of the Game consistently across Europe.
Clear Line features more than 100 videos across five key areas of the game – penalties, red cards, attacking offences, factual decisions and mistaken identity – providing clear examples of when VAR should and should not intervene.
"Clear Line will provide a central reference point for players, coaches, commentators and fans, helping to explain the rationale behind refereeing decisions and promoting a greater understanding of the decision-making process,” Rosetti explained.
Could you be a referee?
Since the launch of our Be a Referee! campaign in 2023, we have boosted the number of referees across European football by 90,000.
If you think you would like to join them, then follow this link to find out how to get started in your country!