Carabao Cup final: EFL confirms referee and VAR team as Arsenal and Man City head to Wembley
carabao cup preparations sharpened on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, as the EFL confirmed the on-field officiating appointments for Sunday afternoon’s final at Wembley Stadium. Arsenal and Manchester City are set to face each other with their Premier League title battle temporarily put to one side, while both camps look for clarity on the matchday officials. The EFL’s announcement puts Peter Bankes in the spotlight as he takes charge of what will be his first major cup final.
Match setting: Wembley final locked in for Sunday afternoon (ET)
The 2026 EFL Cup final will be played on Sunday afternoon at Wembley Stadium, with Arsenal meeting Manchester City in the showpiece event. Arsenal arrive after beating Port Vale, Brighton & Hove Albion, Crystal Palace and Chelsea on their route to the final. Manchester City reached the same stage by getting past Huddersfield Town, Swansea City, Brentford and holders Newcastle United.
At the time of the officiating update, Arsenal are nine points clear at the Premier League summit, a backdrop that underlines the intensity surrounding this cup final meeting.
Carabao Cup officiating appointments: Peter Bankes leads the on-field team
The EFL confirmed that referee Peter Bankes will be the man in the middle for Sunday’s showdown between Arsenal and Manchester City. Bankes, who was born in Lancashire, has been a FIFA-listed official since 2021 and will be taking charge of his first major cup final at Wembley.
Bankes will be joined by assistant referees Neil Davies and Steve Meredith, with Tom Bramall appointed as the fourth official. The EFL confirmation sets the matchday structure under the Wembley arch, with Bankes tasked with managing the final’s biggest moments.
In Premier League action across his career, Bankes has overseen 86 matches, including 21 this season. The same season has also seen him issue 86 yellow cards and a division-high four red cards, while awarding five penalty kicks in the top flight.
Track record with Arsenal and Man City: wins, losses, and flashpoints
Bankes is preparing to take charge of his 15th Arsenal match. In the previous 14 matches he has officiated involving Mikel Arteta’s side, Arsenal have won 10, drawn one and lost three. His most recent Arsenal game was the 4-1 away victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on February 22, after he oversaw Arsenal’s 1-0 home win over Chelsea in the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final.
Bankes was also the referee when Arsenal beat Manchester City 5-1 at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League in February 2025, a match in which he showed two yellow cards, both to Arsenal players. Overall, Bankes has shown 13 yellow cards to Arsenal players and has not sent off an Arsenal player.
One of Bankes’s most controversial Arsenal fixtures remains the 1-1 draw with Brentford in February 2023, which became associated with a “significant human error” by VAR official Lee Mason, who neglected to draw the offside lines that would have disallowed Brentford’s equaliser. Another major talking point came in the North London derby earlier this year, when Randal Kolo Muani had a goal disallowed after being adjudged to have pushed Gabriel Magalhaes in the back before striking at goal.
For Manchester City, Bankes is set to referee his 13th match involving Pep Guardiola’s side. In the previous 12, City have won six, drawn one and lost five across all competitions. His most recent City assignment was their 1-0 win at Leeds United in the Premier League on February 28, following the reverse fixture at the Etihad Stadium on November 29, a 3-2 City victory. Bankes has shown 14 yellow cards to City players and has not sent off a City player.
What happens next: final build-up accelerates toward Sunday afternoon (ET)
With the on-field team confirmed by the EFL on March 17, 2026 (ET), attention now turns to the final stretch of preparation before Arsenal and Manchester City step out at Wembley on Sunday afternoon. The carabao cup final is now framed not only by the teams’ routes to the showpiece, but also by the officiating profile Bankes brings into a match expected to be defined by fine margins and high-stakes decisions.
