João Pinheiro to Referee Benfica-FC Porto Clássico

João Pinheiro has been appointed to officiate the highly anticipated “Clássico” between Benfica and FC Porto, scheduled for Sunday at Estádio da Luz, as announced by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. FC Porto Official Website

Refereeing Team

Pinheiro will be assisted by Bruno Jesus and Luciano Maia. Hélder Carvalho will serve as the fourth official. Luís Ferreira has been designated as the VAR (Video Assistant Referee), with Valdemar Maia as AVAR (Assistant VAR). Observador

Previous Controversies

João Pinheiro has a history of controversial decisions in matches involving Benfica and FC Porto. Porto supporters have previously criticized Pinheiro, alleging a missed penalty call in their favor was instead ruled as a yellow card. A Bola

Other Appointments

Miguel Nogueira will officiate the match between SC Braga and Sporting, which will accept place on Saturday. Manuel Mota will be on VAR duty for that match. OneFootball

Full List of 25th Round Appointments

• Famalicão-Arouca: Referee: Antônio Nobre, VAR: Rui Silva
• Alverca-Aves SAD: Referee: João Gonçalves, VAR: Rui Oliveira
• Moreirense -National: Referee: Márcio Torres, VAR: Ricardo Moreira
• SC Braga-Sporting: Referee: Miguel Nogueira, VAR: Manuel Mota
• Estoril-Casa Pia: Referee: Bruno Costa, VAR: Sérgio Piscarreta
• Star of Amadora-Gil Vicente: Referee: Luís Godinho, VAR: João Casegas
• Benfica-FC Porto: Referee: João Pinheiro, VAR: Luís Ferreira
• Santa Clara-V. Guimarães: Referee: David Silva, VAR: Cláudia Ribeiro
• Tondela-Rio Ave: Referee: Hélder Malheiro, VAR: Tiago Martins

The Benfica-FC Porto match is scheduled for 6:00 PM on the 25th round of the League. OneFootball