The referee for the Champions League final has been selected - and it's good news for Arsenal

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Martin Macdonald | Writer

Content writer covering football, formula 1 and movies

The stage is set for the 2025/26 Champions League final with Arsenal set to take on defending champions, Paris Saint-Germain, at the Puskas Arena in Budapest.

PSG won the final last year after demolishing Inter Milan 5-0, with Desire Doue scoring a double and Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Senny Mayulu also getting on the scoresheet. It was the first time the Parisians had ever won the tournament, dating back to their creation in 1970.

Arsenal are hoping to win their first ever European Cup/Champions League, having last featured in the final in 2006 when they were defeated by Barcelona.

The French side reached the final after a blockbuster semi-final tie against Bayern Munich that they won 6-5 on aggregate. The first leg, probably the game of the season in any tournament, ended 5-4 to PSG, while the second leg was a more reserved affair, a 1-1 draw at the Allianz Arena.

The other semi between Arsenal and Atletico Madrid was more methodical over both legs as the Gunners squeezed through 2-1 on aggregate. After a 1-1 draw in Spain in the first leg, Bukayo Saka scored the decisive goal in the second leg at the Emirates.

Arsenal will be pleased to know that the same referee from that home leg semi-final has been appointed to officiate the final.

On Monday, Daniel Siebert was selected by UEFA as the referee for the final, and he has taken charge of two Arsenal matches this season - the 1-0 win against Sporting CP in the quarter-final home leg and the aforementioned 1-0 semi-final victory against Diego Simeone's side.

He has refereed PSG once this campaign in a 0-0 draw versus Athletic Club in the league phase.

In Siebert's nine Champions League games this season he has shown two red cards and awarded just one penalty kick.

The Arsenal-PSG game will be the first European final he has officiated.

Among the discourse surrounding Arsenal and the tendency for melees to break out during corner-kicks in their games, it should come as music to their ears that they have a referee who has already taken charge of two of their matches this season.

He also made a huge call in Arsenal's favour in the Atletico game as Antoine Griezmann was fouled inside the box by Riccardo Calafiori. While that looked a definite foul, Siebert gave Arsenal a free-kick instead for a previous foul on Gabriel by Marc Pubill, even though there appeared to be minimal contact. Siebert was aided by VAR on that occasion.

VAR intervened on Arsenal's behalf this past weekend, too, in a crucial Premier League game against West Ham. The Hammers, threatened by relegation, thought they had equalised in injury time after Leandro Trossard had given Arsenal the 1-0 lead, but the referee and VAR deemed that goalkeeper David Raya had been impeded by forward Pablo with an arm across the chest.

Arsenal are currently five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table, with the Gunners having two games remaining and Pep Guardiola's side three, with their game in hand coming this Wednesday versus Crystal Palace.