Ismail Elfath appointed to referee England vs Argentina World Cup semi-final

All eyes will be on Ismail Elfath (Picture: Getty) England face Argentina tonight in a mammoth World Cup semi-final showdown in Atlanta. The game represents a rekindling of one of the biggest rivalries in international football, given the two sides have not met in a competitive match since the 2002 World Cup. The man tasked with keeping law and order between the two great rivalswill be Moroccan-born American Ismail Elfath. Born in Casablanca, Elfath moved to the US after winning a government ‘diversity lottery ticket’ when he was just 18. Get exclusive analysis of England v Argentina Make sense of the drama with Metro's free daily newsletter. Sign up now. After arriving in America, he studied for a degree in mechanical engineering in Texas while also playing for local USL League Two side Austin Lightning. Elfath’s move into refereeing was motivated by his dissatisfaction at the standard of officiating, and he eventually became a professional referee in 2011. Since then, he has established himself as one of the best officials in North America having won the MLS Referee of the Year award in 2020 and 2022. Elfath took charge of Norway vs Brazil earlier in the tournament (Picture: Getty) The match officials for @FIFAWorldCup match 102 have been appointed. 🤝— FIFA (@FIFAcom) July 13, 2026 While the majority of Elfath’s refereeing experience has come in the MLS – the highest league in US football – he was also involved at the last World Cup. The 44-year-old, who officiated three games in Qatar, famously sent off Vincent Aboubakar for taking his shirt off after scoring a dramatic winner for Cameroon against Brazil in the group stage. Elfath is perhaps something of a good omen for Argentina, given he was the fourth official for the World Cup final, which the South Americans won on penalties against France. There’s potentially further good news for Lionel Messi in particular, who has won all five Inter Miami games that Elfath has taken charge of. Elfath is vastly experienced (Picture: Getty) England vs Argentina will be the fourth game that Elfath has officiated at this summer’s World Cup. He took charge of the group stage fixtures between Netherlands and Japan, and Uruguay vs Spain, as well as Norway’s Round of 16 win over Brazil. Spain’s 1-0 triumph over Uruguay saw Elfath award a red card to Agustin Canobbio for a foul on Pau Cubarsi in stoppage time. Follow England vs Argentina LIVE Norway’s 2-1 victory over Brazil, meanwhile, saw him miss an obvious penalty for Carlo Ancelotti’s men, before his blushes were spared by VAR. Overall, Elfath has brandished eight yellow cards across his three games in charge at this year’s World Cup – at an average of 2.7 bookings per match – in addition to his one red card. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

Ismail Elfath will become a history-maker when he takes charge of England's semi-final clash against Argentina

Ismail Elfath will officiate England’s World Cup semifinal against Argentina, with Lionel Messi carrying a strong record in matches involving the American referee.

Elfath was born in Morocco but has forged his officiating career in the United States

Morocco-born Elfath, 44, is a graduate from the University of Texas at Austin, and has refereed in the MLS since 2012.

July 15 – FIFA has handed American referee Ismail Elfath (pictured) the World Cup semi-final between England and Argentina, in what will be the biggest 90 minutes of his career. It is also, arguably, the most fraught assignment of the tournament. On the pitch, this is a fixture that carries decades of grievance, a rivalry stitched through with the Hand of God, Beckham’s red card, and everything since. Off it, Read more … The post US referee Ismail Elfath in the middle for England-Argentina appeared first on Inside World Football.