FIFA officially confirmed that American Ismail Elfath will be the main referee for the highly anticipated match between the Argentine National Team and England in the semifinals of the 2026 World Cup. The match will take place this Wednesday in Atlanta and will determine one of the finalists of the competition.
The assistant referees will also be American. The team will include Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins, while the officiating crew will be completed by Italians Maurizio Mariani and Daniele Bindoni. This is a designation with a strong presence from Concacaf for one of the most important matches of the tournament.
Ismail Elfath will be the referee for the match
Elfath, 44 years old, is experiencing his second World Cup and has officiated six matches in World Cups. In Qatar 2022, he was in charge of Portugal-Ghana, Cameroon-Brazil, and Japan-Croatia, while in the current edition, he has already participated in three other matches.
His debut in the 2026 World Cup occurred in the 2-2 draw between the Netherlands and Japan in the group stage, a match in which he showed three yellow cards. Subsequently, he officiated Spain's 1-0 victory over Uruguay, a result that led to the elimination of the South American team.
His only participation so far in a knockout stage was the round of 16 match between Brazil and Norway. The Europeans advanced with two goals from Erling Haaland, in a particularly intense match in which Elfath awarded two penalties in favor of the Brazilian team.
The American referee also has previous experience with the Argentine National Team. In 2018, he officiated one of the first matches of Lionel Scaloni's cycle, which ended in a goalless draw against Colombia at MetLife Stadium. Three years later, he was in charge of the 1-1 draw between Argentina and Spain in the group stage of the Tokyo Olympic Games, a result that eliminated the Albiceleste.
Ismail Elfath will be the referee for the match
Lionel Messi, however, has a good memory of Elfath. The American officiated the final of the Leagues Cup 2023 between Inter Miami and Nashville, which ended with a victory for the Florida team in the penalty shootout. That night, the Argentine captain won his first title since arriving in U.S. soccer.
This designation completes the last pending detail before a semifinal filled with history and expectation. Argentina will seek to overcome England in Atlanta and secure its place in another World Cup final, with Elfath as the highest authority on the field.
