The referee for England vs Argentina could be a good omen for Lionel Messi

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.

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.

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