The UCL final referee has been announced ahead of Inter Milan’s clash against PSG at the Allianz Arena on May 31.
Interestingly, the official in question has already overseen the 2022 Conference League final as well as last year’s Europa League final.
On both occasions, Serie A clubs were victorious which provides a potentially good omen for the Nerazzurri. Three years ago, Roma beat Feyenoord 1-0 in the UECL finale.
12 months ago, Atalanta‘s Ademola Lookman fired in a historic hat-trick as the Dea beat Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 at the Aviva Stadium.
🏆⬇️ Announcing our referees for the upcoming finals.#UCL: István Kovács 🇷🇴#UEL: Felix Zwayer 🇩🇪#UECL: Irfan Peljto 🇧🇦#UWCL: Ivana Martinčić 🇭🇷#UNL: Sandro Schärer 🇨🇭 pic.twitter.com/ur8BnfuEuj
— UEFA (@UEFA) May 12, 2025
Who Is The UCL Final Referee?
The UCL final referee has been revealed as Istvan Kovacs. The Romanian official was picked via UEFA’s Referees Committee on Monday (May 12).
Kovacs has been an international referee for 15 years and is widely regarded as one of the most reputable officials in European soccer.
This season alone, Kovacs has had the whistle for seven UCL games. In November, Kovacs oversaw Inter’s 1-0 win over Arsenal at the San Siro.
Hakan Calhanoglu scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot at the end of the first period. Kovacs dished out four bookings during the game with Lautaro Martinez and Nicolo Barella receiving cautions for the Nerazzurri.
Interestingly, Kovacs has overseen two games featuring PSG in the UCL in 2024-25. The 40-year-old issued eight yellows and a red card as the Parisians lost 1-0 to Bayern at the Allianz Arena.
Star forward Ousmane Dembele was the player dismissed. The only goal of the game came after 38 minutes when Min-jae Kim headed home for the Bundesliga club.
In the second game involving the Ligue 1 side, Dembele scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 R16 victory against Liverpool. Luis Enrique’s side would eventually go on to win via penalties.
