FIFA has appointed American referee Ismail Elfath to officiate the highly anticipated 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final between England and Argentina.
Elfath has already overseen three matches at the tournament and will now take charge of one of its biggest fixtures as both teams battle for a place in the final.
His most recent assignment came in Norway’s Round of 16 victory over Brazil, a match that featured several controversial moments. During the game, Elfath initially waved play on after a challenge on Brazil’s Matheus Cunha before VAR intervened to award a penalty, which Bruno Guimaraes failed to convert.
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Later in stoppage time, the referee awarded Brazil another penalty after ruling that Norway defender Leo Ostigard handled the ball inside the area. Neymar converted the spot-kick, although it proved to be only a consolation goal.
Earlier in the tournament, Elfath officiated the entertaining 2-2 group-stage draw between the Netherlands and Japan, as well as Spain’s narrow 1-0 victory over Uruguay.
In the Spain-Uruguay clash, he showed a straight red card to Uruguay’s Agustin Canobbio for a serious foul in a fiercely contested encounter.
With a place in the World Cup final at stake, all eyes will be on Elfath as he takes charge of the blockbuster showdown between England and Argentina.
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