The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has announced the appointment of English referee Chris Kavanagh to officiate the match between Slavia Prague and Barcelona, scheduled to take place next Wednesday evening at 10:00 PM Cairo time, as part of the seventh and second-to-last round of the group stage in the UEFA Champions League.

Kavanagh, 40 years old, has been an international referee since 2019 and a member of UEFA's elite referee list since December 2025. He will officiate his fifth UEFA Champions League match, having never previously refereed a Barcelona game.

The English referee made his debut in the European Championship last season when he officiated the match between Slovan Bratislava and Stuttgart. This season, he has also officiated three other matches, the most notable being the game between Inter Milan and Slavia Prague.

During his career, Howard Webb officiated nearly 500 matches across various competitions, including 181 Premier League games, 80 Championship matches, and 44 National League fixtures. Throughout this time, he issued 60 red cards and awarded 101 penalty kicks.

Cavanagh has previously officiated several high-profile finals, including this season's Community Shield final, last season's Championship play-off final, as well as the 2024 EFL Cup final.