Akil Howson is set to become the first black official at an FA Cup final in the competition's 154-year history.
Howson will be one of referee Darren England's assistants at Wembley when Chelsea take on Manchester City on May 16.
In August 2023, Howson became the Premier League's first permanent black official in 15 years, following Uriah Rennie.
It is a further sign of how much more diverse the pool of officials has become across the grassroots and professional game.
More than seven per cent of officials across the men's and women's professional games are now of black, Asian or mixed heritage - triple the percentage from back in 2022.
The appointment of referee England for the showpiece encounter is recognition of his performances this season, and marks a major career milestone after a high-profile VAR error during a Premier League game between Tottenham and Liverpool in September 2023.
England mistakenly failed to overrule an on-field decision to disallow a Luis Diaz goal for offside. He did not referee a game for three months afterwards and did not return to VAR duties until April 2024.
England, who was appointed as a Premier League referee in 2020, was the fourth official at last year's FA Cup final and an assistant at the 2015 final.
