Sunderland v West Ham United
Premier League, Stadium of Light, Saturday 16 August 2025, 3pm BST
Referee: Rob Jones
Assistant Referees: Nick Greenhalgh and Matthew Wilkes
Fourth Official: Anthony Taylor
VAR: Stuart Attwell
Assistant VAR: Natalie Aspinall
Rob Jones has been confirmed as the referee for West Ham United's 2025/26 Premier League opener away to Sunderland this weekend.
Promoted to the EFL list at the start of the 2016/17 season, Jones took charge of his first top-flight clash in December 2019, and was promoted to Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) Select Group One ahead of the 2020/21 campaign.
Jones takes the whistle for the ninth game involving West Ham, having refereed the Hammers, then managed by Julen Lopetegui, twice last season, as we ran out 2-0 winners away at Crystal Palace in August 2024, before a 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion in December.
The 38-year-old Merseysider has been the man in the middle at three finals during his career so far, the last of which was Wycombe Wanderers’ victory over Oxford United in the EFL League One Play-Off final in July 2020, little under a year after he refereed Oxford’s shock win over West Ham in the third round of the EFL Cup.
In total last season, Jones showed 95 yellow cards and three red cards across 22 Premier League matches and, most recently, he oversaw Ferencváros’ UEFA Champions League qualifier against FC Noah in late July.
Nick Greenhalgh and Matthew Wilkes will serve as the assistant referees.
Greenhalgh, who ran the line as in March’s EFL Cup final between Liverpool and Newcastle United at Wembley Stadium, has worked over 300 matches during his time as an assistant referee in the EFL since joining the list in 2008/09 and was promoted to the PGMOL’s Select Group 1 officials ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.
He officiated in three of the Hammers' matches last season, running the line in the 3-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest in November, the 2-0 win at Newcastle United later that month and the 1-1 draw at Aston Villa in January 2025.
Fellow linesman Wilkes, meanwhile, was Darren England's assistant during our BOYLE Sports Cup victory over LOSC Lille at London Stadium last weekend and, in the Premier League most recently, assisted Matt Donohue on VAR, as Graham Potter’s side signed off 2024/25 with a 3-1 success at Ipswich Town.
Anthony Taylor will be the fourth official on Saturday.
A top-flight referee since 2010, Taylor is one of England’s most experienced officials and has previously taken charge of two FA Cup finals, an EFL Cup final, the FA Community Shield, the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup final, the 2023 UEFA Europa League final and, at international level, the 2021 UEFA Nations League final between France and Spain.
Finally, Video Assistant Referee responsibilities will be overseen by Stuart Attwell, who held the same role in 29 Premier League matches (53 in all competitions) last season and took charge of May’s FA Cup final between Crystal Palace and Manchester City. Attwell will be assisted at Stadium of Light by Natalie Aspinall.
