UEFA Super Cup
Wednesday, Red Bull Arena, Salzburg, Austria
Paris Saint-Germain vs Aston Villa, 10:00 pm EAT
Somali referee Omar Artan is set to make history on Wednesday when he becomes the first non-European official to referee the UEFA Super Cup.
The 34-year-old will take charge of the meeting between UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain and UEFA Europa League champions Aston Villa at the Red Bull Arena in Salzburg, Austria.
The landmark appointment represents a major moment for African refereeing and comes after UEFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) agreed to greater cooperation in several areas, including refereeing.
Artan’s appointment also comes after he was unable to participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup despite being selected among the tournament’s match officials. UEFA confirmed that he was not allowed to enter the United States and subsequently missed the tournament.
The disappointment has now been followed by one of the biggest assignments of his career. “It was a very tough period. When someone has been working a lot of years and is supposed to do something, and then can’t do it, it’s very challenging,” Artan said.
Instead of allowing the setback to halt his progress, Artan has continued to build his reputation on the African and international stage.
He has been on the FIFA international referees list since 2018 and was named CAF Men’s Referee of the Year in 2025. Among his most notable assignments was the second leg of the 2025/26 CAF Champions League final.
Artan will be assisted in Salzburg by Djibouti’s Liban Abdoulrazack Ahmed and Kenya’s Stephen Eleazar Onyango Yiembe, giving the historic appointment a strong East African presence.
The referee has also continued preparing for the assignment by officiating matches in Somalia and the Kuwaiti Premier League while studying the two teams. “I always watch the teams play. I do a lot of research on the teams, how they play, their behaviours and tactics,” he said.
The assignment adds another significant milestone to Artan’s career.
He became the first Somali referee to officiate the Africa Cup of Nations after joining the FIFA international list and has since established himself among Africa’s leading officials.
For UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, Artan’s appointment is a recognition of his ability and experience. “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,” Čeferin said when UEFA announced the appointment.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe similarly described the appointment as an honour for Artan, Somalia and African referees.
The match also represents an important test for Artan as he takes charge of two high-profile European clubs at the start of the new continental season.
PSG seek another trophy
PSG enter the Super Cup as Champions League winners after beating Arsenal on penalties in May following a 1-1 draw after extra time.
The French champions have had a relatively quiet pre-season, playing two friendly matches. They lost 3-0 to Mallorca before drawing 1-1 with Manchester United.
Several key players, including Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué, Fabián Ruiz, Achraf Hakimi, Lucas Hernández and Warren Zaïre-Emery, could feature if fit.
Aston Villa arrive in Austria as Europa League champions after defeating Freiburg 3-0 in May to end a long wait for major European silverware.
Unlike PSG, Villa have had a busier pre-season, playing six friendlies, winning three and losing three. Their most recent outing ended in a 2-1 defeat to Bayern Munich.
Captain John McGinn is a doubt after limping off in a recent friendly, while Amadou Onana and Manzambi are also sidelined.
Wednesday’s encounter will be the third meeting between the two clubs.
They last met in the 2024/25 Champions League quarter-finals, with PSG advancing 5-4 on aggregate. PSG won the first leg 3-1 in Paris before Villa responded with a 3-2 victory at Villa Park.
For Artan, however, the scoreline will not be the only thing attracting attention in Salzburg. After a painful World Cup disappointment, the Somali official now has an opportunity to write his name into UEFA history on one of European football’s biggest stages.
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