VAR Dankert – almost always there at big finals

As of: May 29, 2026 • 2:15 p.m

Bastian Dankert has been at all the big games for years – as a video assistant. The Champions League final will be the next big task, with his third World Cup soon to follow.

If Bastian Dankert had had a similar career as a football player, posters of him would probably be hanging in countless children’s rooms. The 45-year-old from Rostock was involved in the 2021 European Championship final, the 2025 Club World Cup final, all World and European Championships since 2018 and several European finals.

But his job, at least at international level, takes place far from the action of the game; he is always used as a video assistant at the big games. The next important task awaits the referee on Saturday: he will once again monitor the Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal as VAR in Budapest.

Final referee Siebert: “ Dankert has reached every final imaginable”

The final will be officiated by DFB referee Daniel Siebert, but the appointment is also another honor for Dankert. Siebert said in an interview published by UEFA about his video assistant: “I’m particularly happy for Bastian Dankert, who has now reached every final imaginable as a video assistant.”

Dankert is one of the most sought-after referees in this role internationally and was also nominated by FIFA as a video assistant for the 2026 World Cup. Dankert – who is not available for interviews in the run-up to the World Cup – has long since earned a reputation as a VAR.

At the 2021 European Championship, UEFA entrusted him with the final as well as several times in the Europa League, the Conference League and now in the Champions League. He was also there at the 2025 Club World Cup and at the end of the tournament the VAR was in the final. At the end of the day, Dankert stood in the stadium in New Jersey, was shaken by the hand of FIFA President Gianni Infantino and US President Donald Trump and hung a medal.

Dankert could be there again as a video assistant at the 2026 World Cup final if the German team is eliminated early enough and Dankert is therefore taken into account in the knockout games with appropriate performances.

“Handreasen” hung after Dankert as a referee for a long time

Meanwhile, his career as a referee continues in the same way. A highlight in Germany: The DFB gave him the 2024 cup final between 1. FC Kaiserslautern and Bayer Leverkusen.

During his career there were numerous innovations in professional football: In addition to the video assistant, goal line technology and semi-automatic offside detection were added. In October 2014, at the game between Bayern Munich and Werder Bremen, Dankert was the first referee in the Bundesliga to use free-kick spray to direct a free-kick wall into place.

Dankert has been refereeing games in the Bundesliga since 2012 – and one negative experience remains in memory: Leon Andreasen (“Handreasen”) scored a goal with his hand for Hannover 96 in a game against 1. FC Köln in 2015. Dankert’s wrong decision caused indignation. “It was of course a situation that had a huge impact on me in all aspects of life, because you are alone in the world when everyone is beating you up.”Dankert told the German Press Agency in 2020.

What Bastian Dankert was missing at the time was a Bastian Dankert who could have saved him from making the mistake. The video assistant was only introduced in 2017 – and gave Dankert access to all major football games.