Who is István Kovács, referee for Barcelona vs Atlético Madrid, Champions League quarterfinal 1st leg?
Last year’s Champions League final referee, Romania’s István Kovács will be the man in the middle at Camp Nou today.
Romania’s István Kovács, who refereed last season’s final, will take charge of today’s Champions League quarterfinal first leg in Catalonia, where Barcelona and Atlético Madrid face off in an all-LaLiga matchup.
Meeting for the third time in a Champions League knockout tie, Barça and Atleti will do battle for a semifinal spot against Arsenal or Sporting CP, in a last-eight clash that concludes next Tuesday, in the return leg in Madrid.
Atlético head into the matchup holding the historical upper hand over Barça in the Champions League. Los Rojiblancos have so far won both of the clubs’ two-legged series in the competition, eliminating the Blaugrana in the 2013/14 and 2015/16 quarterfinals.
In LaLiga, however, Barça beat Atlético just four days ago, Robert Lewandowski’s late goal earning the visitors a 2-1 triumph in the Spanish capital.
Who is István Kovács?
Now firmly established as one of European soccer’s standout referees, Kovács completed a continental treble in last May’s Champions League final in Munich, where Paris Saint-Germain thumped Inter Milan 5-0. Only the second Romanian to be appointed to the UCL’s title game, the 41-year-old had already helmed the Europa League final in 2024, and the Conference League trophy decider two years before that.
A Champions League referee since 2018, Kovács made his top-flight domestic bow back in 2007, debuting in Romania’s SuperLiga at the age of just 22.
On the international stage, Kovács oversaw three matches at the 2021 and 2024 European Championships - and, in 2022, became the first Romanian referee to earn World Cup selection in 36 years. Although he did not take charge of any games in Qatar, he is likely to feature at this summer’s tournament in North America, having seen action at last year’s expanded Club World Cup in the U.S.
At the Club World Cup, indeed, Kovács crossed paths with Atlético, refereeing Los Colchoneros’ 4-0 group-phase thrashing by PSG. Barcelona have also been on the wrong end of a Paris rout on the Romanian’s watch: in a 2023/24 Champions League quarterfinal, Kovács sent off Barça defender Ronald Araújo in the first half of a 4-1 victory for the Ligue 1 giants.
These are two of seven occasions on which Kovács, who is also a trained physical-education teacher, has been appointed to a game involving either Atleti or Barça:
István Kovács’ Barcelona games:
- Apr. 16, 2024: Barcelona 1-4 PSG, UCL QFs 2nd leg
- Feb. 17, 2022: Barcelona 1-1 Napoli, UEL, playoffs 2nd leg
István Kovács’ Atlético games:
- Jan. 21, 2026: Galatasaray 1-1 Atlético, league phase
- Jun. 15, 2025: PSG 4-0 Atlético, CWC group phase
- Feb. 20, 2024: Inter Milan 1-0 Atlético, L16 1st leg
- Oct. 4, 2022: Club Brugge 2-0 Atlético, group phase
- Apr. 5, 2022: Man City 1-0 Atlético, QFs 1st leg
Who are Kovács’ assistants for Barcelona vs Atlético?
Kovács’ on-field assistants will be compatriots Mihai Marica and Ferencz Tunyogi, and the fourth official will be Szabolcs Kovacs, also Romanian. The video assistant referee (VAR) will be Germany’s Christian Dingert, and the assistant VAR will be Portugal’s Tiago Martins.
Barcelona vs Atlético: kickoff times, how to watch in the U.S.
In the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, Barcelona host Atlético Madrid today, Wednesday April 8, with kickoff at Camp Nou scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET/12 noon PT.
Viewers in the U.S. can watch the game on Paramount+, DAZN USA, TUDN USA, Univisión and ViX. You’ll also be able to follow live-text coverage of the game with AS USA: Joe Brennan will be providing play-by-play commentary of the action in the Catalan capital.
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