UEFA appoints Espen Eskås as referee for Germany‑Serbia

Germany meets on Thursday at the Allianz Arena in Munich against Serbia – Serbia referee who? UEFA has appointed the 38‑year‑old Norwegian referee Espen Eskås, in some sources also written as Espen Eskas, for the Nations League match that will be played in the heart of Bavaria.

Experienced Norwegian takes the reins

The 38‑year‑old Espen Eskås has been a FIFA referee since 2017 and regularly officiates matches in the top Norwegian league. UEFA tasked him with overseeing the duel between Germany and Serbia.

His assistants are the Norwegians Jan Erik Engan and Alf Olav Roosland, while Sigurd Kringstad serves as the fourth official. The VAR is the Portuguese Tiago Martins, assisted by Kristoffer Hagenes from Norway as the AVAR.

German media predict three-way points race in Nations League group

Eskås can already look back on 18 appointments in the Champions League and works regularly in the Europa League as well as the Conference League. This year he also refereed two matches at a World Cup finals, including the round of 16 between Portugal and Croatia.

He has already officiated two matches for the German senior national team: a 2024 friendly against the Netherlands (Germany 2:1) and a 2025 World Cup qualifier against Northern Ireland (Germany 3:1).

His repeated involvement in matches of the German national team underscores UEFA's confidence in his abilities for high‑profile encounters.