Darren England to referee Chelsea vs Manchester City at Wembley
Darren England will referee the 2026 FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium. The Football Association’s appointment puts the Sheffield & Hallamshire FA official in charge of one of English football’s biggest fixtures, and it comes with a season workload that has already reached 27 outings.
Wembley Final Appointment
England will take the middle for a final that brings Chelsea and Manchester City back to Wembley. The pair reached the showpiece through separate runs, with Chelsea beating Charlton Athletic, Hull City, Wrexham and Port Vale before their 1-0 semi-final win over Leeds United.
Manchester City arrived the hard way as well. They beat Exeter City, Salford City, Newcastle United and Liverpool before coming from behind to beat Southampton in the semi-finals after late goals from Jeremy Doku and Nico Gonzalez.
England’s Season Load
The appointment sends England into his 28th game across competitions this season. His list of assignments has included the Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup and UEFA Europa League qualification.
Across his 27 outings so far, he has issued 115 yellow cards, shown three second-yellow dismissals and awarded five penalties. Those numbers set the backdrop for a final where every set piece and disciplinary call will be watched closely.
City’s History With England
Manchester City have already been officiated by England on 13 previous occasions across competitions. They have lost one of those matches and drawn one, while receiving 15 yellow cards, one straight red card and six penalties in their favour.
This season, he has handled City four times in the Premier League. Those matches ended in a 2-1 away defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion, a 0-1 win at Brentford, a 0-3 win away at Crystal Palace and a 2-2 home draw against Nottingham Forest.
Tim Wood and Akil Howson were named as assistant referees, Steve Meredith as reserve assistant referee, Peter Bankes as Video Assistant Referee, Nick Hopton as Assistant Video Assistant Referee and Sam Barrott as fourth official. With Chelsea chasing a ninth title and City aiming to become the first side to reach four consecutive FA Cup finals, the final now carries England’s whistle as well as the trophy at Wembley.
