Azerbaijani referee to officiate UEFA European U21 Group Stage match

Azerbaijani FIFA referee Elchin Masiyev has been appointed to officiate the Czechia vs. England match in the opening round of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship Group Stage.

Masiyev will be supported by fellow Azerbaijani officials Elshad Abdullayev and Parvin Talibov, with Italian referee Simone Sozza serving as the fourth official.

The Group B fixture is scheduled for June 12 at the DAC Arena in Dunajska Streda, with kickoff at 23:00 Baku time.

The UEFA European Under-21 Championship is a biennial football competition contested by the European men's under-21 national teams of the UEFA member associations.

Since 1992, the competition also serves as the UEFA qualification tournament for the Summer Olympics.

Italy and Spain are the most successful teams in the tournament's history, having won five titles each.

England are the current champions, having beaten Spain 1–0 in the 2023 final.