Daniel Siebert, 42, has a wealth of experience in refereeing top-level matches, having already overseen two Italy games before. His most notable appearances include a 3-1 European Championship victory away to Armenia in September 2019 and the 6-0 friendly win against Moldova in October 2020. Siebert's record with Belgium is a little more mixed, as they lost the Nations League semi-final to France 3-2 in October 2021. However, that was followed by a 3-0 play-off victory against Ukraine in March 2024 and the 4-2 World Cup qualifier success in Wales in October 2025.
Siebert will be assisted by Jan Seidel, Rafael Foltyn, and fourth official Sascha Stegemann. The VAR team for the encounter is also German, specifically Bastian Dankert and assistant VAR Pascal Muller. This will be Siebert's third appearance in charge of Italy, and he will be looking to make a positive impression on the Italian fans.
The match kicks off at 19.45 UK time (20.45 CEST) on Friday, and it promises to be an exciting encounter between two strong teams. With Siebert at the helm, fans can expect a fair and well-managed game.