Maltese match officials have been selected to officiate UEFA Champions League and UEFA Conference League qualifying matches taking place this week, underlining the growing recognition of Maltese referees on the European stage.

De Gabriele appointed for Champions League qualifier

FIFA Referee Matthew De Gabriele has been appointed to officiate the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round match between Swedish side Mjällby AIF and Gibraltar’s Lincoln Red Imps FC.

De Gabriele will be assisted by FIFA Assistant Referees Mitchell Scerri and David Castillo, while Daniel Casha has been named as Fourth Official.

VAR will be in operation for the match, with Italy’s Gianluca Aureliano serving as Video Assistant Referee and Daniele Paterna as Assistant Video Assistant Referee.

The fixture is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, 21 July 2026, at Strandvallen in Sölvesborg, Sweden, with kick-off at 6.00pm.

Farrugia to take charge in Conference League

Elsewhere, FIFA Referee Philip Farrugia has also been appointed to officiate a UEFA Conference League second qualifying round encounter between North Macedonia’s FC Vardar and Latvia’s Riga FC.

Farrugia will be assisted by FIFA Assistant Referees Mark Ciantar and Kurt Owen Saliba, with Daniel Portelli serving as Fourth Official.

The match will be played on Wednesday, 22 July 2026, at the National Arena Todor Proeski in Skopje, North Macedonia, with kick-off scheduled for 8.00pm.

The appointments represent another significant achievement for Maltese refereeing, as local officials continue to earn UEFA recognition for major European club competitions.