Who is István Kovács, the referee for Real Madrid vs Dortmund today?

In his first appearance in the Champions League this campaign, Romania’s István Kovács will referee Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund’s matchday-three clash at the Bernabéu today, as the tournament holders bid to return to winning ways against the team they beat in last season’s final.

2-0 victors over Dortmund in June’s showpiece at Wembley, Madrid began the defence of their European title with a 3-0 home win over VfB Stuttgart in September, but fell to a surprise 1-0 defeat away to Lille earlier in October. That reverse saw Los Blancos slip to 17th in the ‘league phase’ table; visitors Dortmund, on the other hand, are top of the standings after two wins from two. Having opened up with a 3-0 victory at Club Brugge, Nuri Sahin’s men then thumped Celtic 7-1 at Signal Iduna Park on matchday two.

Only the top eight teams in the 36-club ‘league phase’ will qualify automatically for the Champions League last 16. Teams finishing ninth to 24th will have to negotiate a playoff round to reach the knockout stage proper.

What is István Kovács' Champions League record?

A referee who also holds Hungarian nationality, Kovács has amassed over 300 games in Romania’s SuperLiga since making his domestic top-flight debut in August 2007. His Champions League bow came in November 2018, when he oversaw a 3-1 group-stage win for Valencia over Young Boys.

Kovács has crossed paths with Madrid and Dortmund on two occasions each. In the 2021/22 semi-finals, the 40-year-old took charge of the Spaniards’ 4-3 first-leg defeat to Manchester City - a game that preceded a dramatic return-leg comeback that saw Madrid, the eventual tournament winners, reach the final at the Citizens’ expense. The following season, Kovács was also involved in a memorable Madrid knockout tie, when he refereed Los Vikingos’ 5-2 thumping of Liverpool in a last-16 first leg at Anfield.

The referee’s two Dortmund games were both in the group stages of the Champions League: the 1997 winners’ 2-1 victory at Zenit St Petersburg in December 2020, and their 3-1 win at AC Milan in November 2023.

In his four matches involving either Madrid or Dortmund, Kovács’ cards have mostly remained tucked away in his pocket. In all, he issued seven yellow cards and no reds, for an average of 1.75 cautions per game. That’s below the Romanian’s career Champions League average: in his 22 appearances in Europe’s top club competition, he has shown a total of 108 yellow cards - nearly five per game - and three reds. His most recent sending-off was in his latest run-out in the Champions League: a straight red given to Barcelona’s Ronald Araújo in the Blaugrana’s 4-1 quarter-final first-leg thrashing by Paris Saint-Germain.

Outside of the Champions League, Kovács’ most notable European assignment to date came in last season’s Europa League final in Dublin, where Atalanta beat Bayer Leverkusen 3-0. He was also a referee at the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup - taking charge of the semi-final between Flamengo and Al-Hilal - and, in international soccer, he was given three group-stage games across the 2020 and 2024 European Championships.

Who are István Kovács’ assistant referees for Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund? Who is the VAR?

Kovác’s assistant referees at the Bernabéu will be countrymen Mihai Marica and George Florin Neacsu. The fourth official will be Marcel Brisan, also Romanian.

The video assistant referee (VAR) will be Pol van Boekel of the Netherlands, and the assistant VAR will be fellow Dutchman Erwin Blank.

Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund: when, how to watch?

The Champions League match-up kicks off today, Tuesday October 22, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. ET/12 noon PT. Viewers in the United States can watch Madrid vs Dortmund on TUDN USA, UniMás, Paramount+ and Vix.