Referee Ishmael Barbara To Take Charge Of UEFA Conference League Play-off

Maltese official Ishmael Barbara has been selected to take charge of a UEFA Conference League Play-off encounter between Portugal’s SC Braga and Austria’s FK Austria Wien.

Braga qualified for the Play-off following a 1-0 aggregate victory over Belarusian side FC Dinamo-Minsk, while Austria Wien made it through to the round with a victory on penalties against Israel’s Beitar Jerusalem FC.

FIFA Referee Ishmael Barbara will officiate the first-leg encounter, set to be held in Braga, Portugal. He will be assisted by FIFA Assistant Referees James Muscat and Duncan Spencer, with Slobodan Petrovic serving as Fourth Official.

VAR will be used during the match, with Jonas Hansen (DEN) and Michael Tykgaard (DEN) serving as Video Assistant Referee and Assistant Video Assistant Referee, respectively.

The encounter will take place at the Estádio Municipal de Braga, Portugal on Thursday 20th August 2026, with kick-off at 21:00hrs CEST.

This represents a prestigious appointment for the Maltese official, with two top European clubs facing off against each other, further reflecting the trust that UEFA has in Maltese refereeing.

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Photo source: Ishmael Barbara