Referees play a crucial role in football. With the introduction of VAR, football arbiters are awarding more penalties and issuing more yellow cards. Let's take a look at the most important statistics for soccer referees.
Soccer Referee Statistics in Top European Leagues
Football referee statistics are a key element in football analysis, as they reveal the refereeing style in a given league, which affects the dynamics of matches. We will focus on the average number of cards (yellow and red) as well as penalties awarded by soccer arbiters per match in the 2025/2026 season. The data is based on the current state of the season, so the averages may change slightly.
Average Number of Cards Shown by Soccer Referees - Top Leagues
- Premier League (England): On average, 5.37 yellow cards per match and 0.13 red cards per match shown by soccer referees. This league is known for a lower number of red cards compared to others
- La Liga (Spain): On average, 5.33 yellow cards per match and 0.46 red cards per match shown by soccer referees. This is one of the leagues with the highest number of cards, reflecting a more aggressive style of play
- Serie A (Italy): On average, 3.60 yellow cards per match and 0.17 red cards per match shown by football arbiters
- Ligue 1 (France): On average, 3.61 yellow cards per match and 0.28 red cards per match shown by referees. This league has the highest proportion of red cards among the top 5, indicating stricter refereeing
- Bundesliga (Germany): On average, 1.99 yellow cards per match and 0.14 red cards per match shown by soccer referees. German refereeing is more lenient, with a lower number of cards
- UEFA Champions League: On average, around 4.2 yellow cards per match and 0.15 red cards per match shown by football arbiters
Average Number of Penalties Awarded by Football Arbiters
- Premier League: On average, 0.20 penalties per match awarded by soccer referees.
- La Liga: On average, 0.28 penalties per match awarded by soccer referees
- Serie A: On average, 0.14 penalties per match awarded by football arbiters
- Ligue 1: On average, 0.35 penalties per match awarded by football referees
- Bundesliga: On average, 0.16 penalties per match awarded by arbiters
- UEFA Champions League: On average, 0.25 penalties per match awarded by soccer referees
How to Use Referee Statistics?
Soccer referee statistics are particularly useful in sports betting, where you can bet on over/under for the number of cards in a match (e.g., over 4.5 cards) or whether a penalty will be awarded. By analysing referees (e.g., how many cards a particular referee shows), you can predict match outcomes – for example, in La Liga, where there are more cards, bets on over cards are an excellent choice when betting. In addition, coaches and analysts use this data to plan tactics, avoiding fouls in leagues with stricter refereeing, such as Ligue 1.
