American referee Elfath to take charge of England vs Argentina World Cup semifinal

Ismail Elfath will referee the FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinal between England and Argentina at Atlanta Stadium on Wednesday, July 15, with a place in the final against Spain at stake.

The Moroccan-born American takes charge of his fourth match of this tournament, having previously officiated the Netherlands vs Japan group-stage draw (2-2), Spain’s 1-0 win over Uruguay, and Norway’s 2-1 round-of-16 victory over Brazil. The semifinal represents the highest-profile World Cup assignment of Elfath’s career as centre referee.

Elfath is no stranger to high-stakes Argentina matches. He served as fourth official during Argentina’s victory over France in the 2022 World Cup final, and since Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami in 2023, Argentina’s captain has won all four matches in which Elfath has been the referee. Fellow Americans Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins will serve as assistants, with Italy’s Maurizio Mariani as fourth official.

England reached the last four after a dramatic run through the knockout rounds. Harry Kane’s brace rescued a 2-1 win over DR Congo in the round of 32, before Jude Bellingham scored back-to-back braces against Mexico and Norway — including an extra-time winner against the Norwegians in the quarterfinals.

Argentina’s route has been equally turbulent. The defending champions needed extra time to edge Cape Verde 3-2 in the round of 32, then recovered from 2-0 down against Egypt to win 3-2 with three goals from the 79th minute onward. In the quarterfinals, they squeezed past Switzerland 3-1 after extra time, with Julián Álvarez scoring the go-ahead goal in the 112th minute and Lautaro Martínez adding a late third. Messi has been central to it all, contributing eight goals across six matches at this World Cup.

Spain await the winner in the final after defeating France 2-0 in the first semifinal at New York/New Jersey Stadium.

Match officials — England vs Argentina

Referee: Ismail Elfath (United States)

Assistant Referee 1: Corey Parker (United States)

Assistant Referee 2: Kyle Atkins (United States)

Fourth Official: Maurizio Mariani (Italy)