FIFA has appointed American referee Ismail Elfath to officiate Wednesday’s 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final between England and Argentina.
Elfath, 44, has already officiated three games at the tournament — Japan vs. Netherlands, Uruguay vs. Spain and Brazil vs. Norway and has issued six yellow cards and one red card, to Uruguay’s Agustín Canobbio.
The appointment of Elfath, who will be assisted by fellow Americans Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins, makes him the second Concacaf official to be given a semifinal following the announcement of El Salvadorean referee Ivan Barton to the France-Spain clash in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday.
Argentina progressed to the semi-finals after defeating Cape Verde 3-2 in the Round of 32, edging Egypt 3-2 in the Round of 16 and overcoming Switzerland 3-1 in the quarter-finals.
England also enjoyed a strong knockout run, beating DR Congo 2-1 in the Round of 32, Mexico 3-2 in the Round of 16 and Norway 2-1 in the quarter-finals.
England and Argentina will meet for the first time since 2005 when they play on Wednesday and the game will be their first World Cup encounter since the 2002 World Cup.