Following discussions with CAF, UEFA have appointed Somali referee Omar Artan to officiate the 2026 UEFA Super Cup, between Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain and Europa League winners Aston Villa.
Despite his young age, Artan has established himself as one of the world’s top referees and has been on the FIFA international list since 2018. Among the most notable matches he has officiated is the second leg of the 2025/2026 CAF Champions League final.
In recognition of his performances, he received the 2025 CAF Men’s Referee of the Year Award.
Artan, 34, had been included by FIFA in the match officials’ list for the FIFA World Cup 2026, but could not participate as he was not allowed to enter the United States.
The decision to appoint Artan to officiate the UEFA Super Cup match has been made in the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), recently signed between UEFA and CAF to encourage cooperation in many areas, including refereeing.
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UEFA and CAF are united by a shared commitment to developing football at all levels and promoting the core values of unity, equality and non-discrimination.
“Omar Artan is an excellent young but already experienced referee, who has proven himself at the highest competition level of the Confederation of African Football,” said UEFA president, Aleksander Čeferin. “Football is made to connect people.”
“And UEFA wants to show its respect to Omar and his outstanding officiating skills, which had earned him such a prestigious nomination. I am grateful to my friend CAF President Patrice Motsepe for supporting enthusiastically our initiative.”
CAF president, Dr Patrice Motsepe, also shared a few words.
“Omar Artan has made Somalia and the entire people of the African Continent, extremely proud,” Motsepe mentioned.
“His receipt of the CAF Men’s Referee of the Year Award 2025 and his appointment as a referee of the FIFA World Cup 2026 are a recognition of his world-class refereeing ability and the international respect that he enjoys.”
“I am very thankful to my friend, Aleksander Čeferin for enabling Omar Artan to officiate the UEFA Super Cup 2026 match. This is a great honour for Omar Artan and for African referees and is also an excellent example of football, bringing together and uniting people from Africa and Europe and worldwide.”
The 2026 UEFA Super Cup will take place on August 12th, 2026, in Salzburg, Austria.
