American Referee Ismail Elfath Named for England vs. Argentina World Cup Semi-Final
Fifa has appointed American referee Ismail Elfath to officiate England’s World Cup semi-final match against Argentina.
The 44-year-old official managed several key matches earlier in the tournament, including the group stage meetings between Japan and the Netherlands, and Uruguay versus Spain. He also oversaw Norway’s victory over five-time winners Brazil in the round of 16. During these matches, Elfath issued six yellow cards and a straight red card to Uruguay midfielder Agustin Canobbio following a high challenge on Spain defender Pau Cubarsi. After receiving the red card, Canobbio confronted the referee and grabbed his shirt.
The semi-final in Atlanta, scheduled for Wednesday at 20:00 BST, will be shown live on BBC One.
Fellow Americans Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins will serve as assistant referees, while Italian Maurizio Mariani will act as the fourth official.
Elfath brings significant experience to the pitch, having previously officiated at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where he served as the fourth official for the final between France and Argentina. During a group stage match four years ago, Elfath gained attention for shaking the hand of Cameroon striker Vincent Aboubakar before sending him off for removing his shirt while celebrating a winning goal against Brazil.
A veteran of Major League Soccer since 2012, Elfath has earned the MLS referee of the year award twice. Notably, he officiated the 2023 Leagues Cup final, where Lionel Messi secured his first trophy for Inter Miami following a penalty shootout victory over Nashville SC. Originally from Morocco, Elfath moved to the United States as an 18-year-old after winning a US government-backed diversity visa lottery.
Meanwhile, Fifa regulations regarding conflicts of interest have ruled English referees Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor out of consideration for the World Cup final. While referees cannot oversee matches involving their own nations, English and Argentine officials are also barred from refereeing games between the two countries due to their historical political rivalry, which stems in part from the 1982 Falklands conflict.
Argentine referee Facundo Tello is ineligible for the same reason. Consequently, all three officials are disqualified from the third-place play-off, as that fixture is guaranteed to involve one of those two teams. These same regulations previously prevented Taylor from refereeing the 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France.