Who is Ismail Elfath? England v Argentina referee for World Cup semi-final

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The Independent

14 July 2026

Ismail Elfath will take charge of the

World Cup

semi-final clash between

England

and

Argentina

in Atlanta.

Born in Morocco, Elfath moved to the United States as an 18-year-old after winning a diversity visa lottery, and graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in mechanical engineering in 2006.

He made his refereeing debut in Major League Soccer in 2012 before becoming a Fifa-listed official in 2016, earning selection for the U20

in 2019.

Three years later, he made his bow at the senior tournament, whistling three fixtures in Qatar including the round of 16 clash between Japan and Croatia.

This semi-final will be his fourth fixture of the 2026

, with the 44-year-old having sent off Uruguay’s Agustin Cannobio during their group stage encounter with Spain. He also took charge of Norway’s win over Brazil in the round of 16.

England and

have not met since a friendly in Geneva in 2005. Their last

match was in 1998, with a round of 16 fixture settled on penalties as

progressed.

Assistant referees: Corey Parker & Kyle Atkins (USA)

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