Match Officials: Craig Pawson to referee Manchester City vs Southampton | OneFootball

The Football Association have confirmed the team of match officials to oversee proceedings in this weekend’s FA Cup semi-final at Wembley Stadium.

Premier League leaders Manchester City will take on Championship flyers Southampton in the capital, with a place in the FA Cup final up for grabs where the victors will face either Chelsea or Leeds United.

Pep Guardiola and his players are aiming to reach a remarkable fourth consecutive Final in the competition, having defeated Manchester United in 2023, losing to the Red Devils in 2024, and then falling to a successive defeat against Crystal Palace in 2025.

This season, the FA Cup acts as a unique opportunity for Manchester City to edge closer to a sensational domestic Treble, having already claimed the Carabao Cup through a Final win over Arsenal last month thanks to a Nico O’Reilly brace at Wembley.

And in the Premier League, those same two teams are battling it out for the top-flight crown, with City moving ahead of the Gunners thanks to victory over Mikel Arteta’s side at the Etihad Stadium, and a 0-1 win at Burnley on Wednesday night.

Now, ahead of the meeting between Manchester City and Southampton, the Football Association have announced the list of match officials to oversee proceedings at Wembley Stadium!

Match Referee

The Football Association and PGMOL have confirmed that match official Craig Pawson has been handed the lead on-field match referee duties for the first of the two FA Cup semi-finals this weekend.

The Sheffield-born official will be taking charge of his 24th match across all competitions when he oversees Manchester City against Southampton, having worked on the Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, and EFL Championship this season.

Pawson – across his 23 matches so far this campaign – has issued a total of 67 yellow cards, no second yellow card dismissals, three straight red cards, and awarded six penalty kicks in the process.

Manchester City have a favourable record in matches officiated by Craig Pawson, having come across the 47-year-old 31 times; 22 of those meetings ending in a Sky Blue win, four ending in a draw, and the other five outings resulting in defeat.

Pawson has overseen two City matches already this season, both of which have ended in a win for Pep Guardiola’s players and bringing about eventful affairs; the 4-5 win at Fulham in early December, and the 1-2 win against Liverpool at Anfield in early February.

The latter saw Erling Haaland convert from the penalty spot to complete a comeback for City, while Rayan Cherki’s late goal was ruled out by Pawson, who in turn sent off Dominik Szoboszlai for the denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity in the build-up.

Assistant Referees

Accompanying Craig Pawson out on the pitch at Wembley this weekend will be Lee Betts and Matthew Wilkes in the roles of Assistant Referees, while Blake Antrobus will be the Reserve Assistant Referee.

Video Assistant Referees

Overseeing Manchester City against Southampton from the VAR booth this weekend will be Tony Harrington as the Video Assistant Referee, supported by Edward Smart in the position of Assistant Video Assistant Referee.

Fourth Official

Standing between the two dugouts and ensuring all is kept in order between Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola and Southampton’s Tonda Eckert will be referee Farai Hallam, placed into the role of Fourth Official.