Calgary referee selected to officiate MLS Final featuring Messi and Muller

Referee Drew Fischer shows a yellow card to Botafogo's Gregore during the Club World Cup group B soccer match between PSG and Botafogo in Pasadena, Calif., Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

A Calgary soccer referee has been selected to officiate the MLS Cup Final on Saturday.

Drew Fischer will be one of the referees when Inter Miami takes on the Vancouver Whitecaps at Chase Stadium in Florida.

The championship clash will feature a pair of soccer legends, Lionel Messi for Inter Miami and Thomas Muller in the lineup for the Whitecaps.

Fischer won the MLS referee of the year award for the second time in a row in 2025.

Fischer was also selected as a match official at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

He was the only Canadian selected for that event, watched by hundreds of millions of viewers around the globe.

“It’s an awfully long way from doing local park games in Calgary,” said Fischer.

He’ll be joined on Saturday by fellow Canadian Carol Anne Chenard, who was named VAR (video assistant referee) for Saturday’s championship game.

It will be Chenard’s first MLS final. She’s from Ottawa.

In another soccer-related Calgary event, Cavalry FC will be hosting a watch party Friday at Elephant & Castle to watch the World Cup draw.

There will be all-day happy-hour specials, giveaways featuring Cavalry FC and Team Canada merchandise and 22 TVs with the sound on for draw day.

The 2026 World Cup is being hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico and the Canadians will find out Friday morning who they will face.

Draw Day watch party

Cavalry FC social media passed along congratulations to Fischer as well on Friday.

“Fun fact,” they posted. “Drew was the referee for our first-ever @CPLsoccer Home Match on ATCO Field at Spruce Meadows back on May 4, 2019."

Messi and Muller have gone head-to-head 11 different times for club and country, with Muller’s team winning eight times.

The MLS Final starts at 12:30 p.m. MST Saturday. It will be televised on TSN4.

With files from CTV’s Stephanie Thomas