Ivan Barton to referee Turkey vs Paraguay in World Cup 2026 Group D decider

El Salvador’s Ivan Barton will take charge of Turkey vs Paraguay at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, a World Cup 2026 Group D match that carries near-elimination stakes for both teams.

Mauricio Pochettino’s United States side sit top of Group D on six points after two games, with Australia on three. That arithmetic means a defeat for either Turkey or Paraguay would all but end their tournament, making Barton’s job one of the more pressurised assignments of the group stage.

Barton, 35, has been a FIFA-listed referee since 2018 and is one of CONCACAF’s most experienced officials. He appeared at his first World Cup in Qatar in 2022, where he oversaw three matches: Japan’s famous group-stage win over Germany, Brazil’s victory against Switzerland, and England’s round-of-16 defeat of Senegal. Across those three games he issued just three yellow cards in total — a notably restrained record.

His domestic workload tells a different story. In 24 matches across El Salvador’s Apertura and Clausura competitions in 2025 and 2026, Barton produced 12 red cards and averaged close to five yellow cards per game, while awarding a penalty roughly every other match.

Barton will be assisted by fellow Salvadoran David Moran and Nicaragua’s Henry Pupiro. Jamaica’s Oshane Nation is the fourth official, and Qatar’s Khamis Al-Marri will oversee VAR.