Gavin Ward has been confirmed as referee for West Ham United’s Carabao Cup third-round tie against Fulham on Tuesday 15 September at London Stadium. This update brings together the latest position on the appointment and the disciplinary record supporters can expect from the official as kick-off approaches. For the background on how this story developed, see our original match referee report.
Carabao Cup third-round update: September 2026
Kick-off at London Stadium is set for 7.45pm on Tuesday 15 September, with West Ham hosting Fulham in a third-round tie that both clubs will want to use as a springboard into the later stages.
Beyond this fixture, the competition schedule is already set. Carabao Cup fourth-round ties are due to take place in the week commencing 26 October, meaning the winner at London Stadium will not have long to wait before their next test in the competition.
Gavin Ward statistics and referee record
Gavin Ward brings a substantial body of Championship experience into Tuesday’s tie. According to OddAlerts, he has taken charge of 157 Championship matches, averaging 3.58 yellow cards per game in the division, a figure that sits on the stricter end of the scale for referees working regularly at that level.
OddAlerts’ wider dataset, covering 197 matches across competitions, records 721 yellow cards and 27 red cards shown by Ward. FotMob’s figures, drawn from a broader statistical model, put his average closer to 3.4 yellow cards per game along with roughly 21 fouls awarded per match. The two data sets are not identical in scope, but both point to a referee who manages games firmly rather than loosely.
None of these figures should be read as a prediction for Tuesday’s card count. They describe Ward’s general pattern across a large sample of fixtures, not what supporters should expect from this specific match.
Match context: West Ham and Fulham form
West Ham arrive at this tie in excellent form. Friday night’s 6-0 win over Wrexham extended a run of four successive Championship victories under Nuno Espírito Santo, a sequence that has shifted the mood around the club considerably in recent weeks. Some of that improvement has been credited to recruitment structural changes made behind the scenes over the summer.
The Hammers do not have long to enjoy the Fulham tie before their focus returns to the league. Nuno’s side travel to Millwall in the Championship on Saturday, meaning squad rotation could well be a factor in his selection against Fulham.
Fulham’s build-up has been quieter on the scoreboard but still notable. Marco Silva’s side drew 0-0 away at Liverpool, a result that will have given them confidence heading into a cup tie against a West Ham team currently scoring freely.
West Ham vs Fulham referee confirmed for London Stadium clash
Gavin Ward is the confirmed referee for West Ham vs Fulham. The Carabao Cup third-round tie kicks off at 7.45pm on Tuesday 15 September at London Stadium, with Ward’s appointment now official ahead of the match.
His selection means both sets of supporters can expect an official with considerable Championship experience in the middle, backed by the yellow and red card figures recorded by OddAlerts and FotMob above. There is no suggestion from either data set, or from any official source, that Ward’s appointment carries any bias towards either club. His statistics simply reflect how he has tended to manage games across a large number of fixtures at this level.
What happens next
Once Tuesday’s tie is settled, attention turns quickly back to the Championship. West Ham face Millwall away on Saturday, a fixture that will likely shape how much Nuno Espírito Santo rotates his side against Fulham. The winner of the West Ham-Fulham tie then has until the week commencing 26 October to prepare for the Carabao Cup fourth round.
