Liverpool has had its referee and match officials appointed for the opening match of the 2026/27 season, with a clash against Newcastle United this Sunday getting the Reds' campaign underway
Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool makes a point to referee Stuart Attwell as Dan Ballard of Sunderland looks on during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Sunderland
Stuart Attwell has been appointed for Liverpool's clash with Newcastle United(Image: (Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images))
The 2026/27 Premier League season is finally upon us, as Liverpool prepares for another monumental campaign ahead under new leadership.
There has been plenty of change on and off the pitch, starting with the head coach, as Arne Slot was replaced by Andoni Iraola to bring about a new vision for how the Reds will play.
Over the summer, the club waved goodbye to legends such as Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson, before welcoming new signings Jeremy Jacquet, Victor Munoz, and Ronald Araujo. While further incomings and outgoings are expected at Anfield, the focus will switch to the season ahead with those changes that have already occurred, as a trip to Newcastle awaits.
The Reds faced off with the Magpies in the second match of the previous campaign, where a late Rio Ngumoha strike earned all three points in a blistering start to the Premier League.
Liverpool fans will be hoping for a similar result, albeit with a bit more conviction in terms of the performance, to truly kickstart the Iraola era.
Some of the key moments in the game could be dictated by the match referee and his assistants, as the decisions they will make could determine the outcome.
Ahead of the opener, the Premier League has announced that Stuart Attwell will be the referee, while he is joined by Constantine Hatzidakis and Lee Betts as his assistants, while Tony Harrington is the fourth official.
In the VAR booth, the main official is James Bell, who will be joined by Edward Smart as his second in command at Stockley Park.
Referee Stuart Attwell during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Everton at London Stadium on April 25, 2026. Photo by Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images
Referee Stuart Attwell during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Everton at London Stadium on April 25, 2026. Photo by Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images
The match will be Attwell's 32nd match in charge of Liverpool, who has a record of 22 wins, six draws, and three defeats under the official.
That's not to say he hasn't had his run-ins in the past with the Reds, as Slot's frustrations boiled over with the 43-year-old in the League Cup defeat to Tottenham in January 2025.
The manager believed that Lucas Bergvall should've been sent off before he scored for Spurs, which was compounded by Kostas Tsimikas being off the pitch receiving treatment during the goal-scoring moment.
"I don’t think there’s any debate about that. They say he (the referee) didn’t (want to) stop the counter-attack and I say every manager would prefer when a tackle being made 40 yards from our goalkeeper, that the player is given a second yellow card rather than to continue the counter-attack with a player less to play that counter-attack with," Slot said on Attwell's decisions.
“The next discussion is was it reckless enough to give advantage and come back and say the tackle was still too reckless and then give a yellow.
“When he (the referee) didn’t give the second yellow nobody thought it would have such a big impact 30 seconds later. I haven’t asked him, but I’m 99.9% sure I wasn’t the only one who felt ‘wow, not the best’. I’m 99.9% sure when Bergvall scored the referee thought ‘oh, is this really happening?’ because he couldn’t change it anymore. I think for him it was also far from ideal.
“In the offside decision he had to tell everyone what the decision was and unfortunately he didn’t have to do that with this decision.”
Liverpool fans will certainly be hoping there is no repeat of that moment when Attwell takes charge of the side's clash with Newcastle in the opening match of the campaign.