Ismail Elfath to referee England vs Argentina World Cup semi-final

Ismail Elfath has been confirmed as the referee for Wednesday's World Cup semi-final between England and Argentina at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The American official, born in Morocco, will take charge of his fourth match of the 2026 tournament.

The fixture reignites one of football's most storied rivalries, with the two nations having met in memorable World Cup encounters including the 1986 'Hand of God' match and the 2002 group stage where David Beckham scored the winner. Argentina's Lionel Messi, the tournament's all-time leading scorer, has never faced England in his career.

Elfath, 44, moved to the United States at 18 after winning a diversity visa lottery and later graduated in mechanical engineering. He debuted in MLS in 2012 and became a FIFA official in 2016. He previously officiated the round of 16 match between Japan and Croatia at the 2022 World Cup.

Previous matches at the 2026 World Cup

Elfath has taken charge of three games so far in the tournament, including Norway's round of 16 victory over Brazil and the Spain-Uruguay clash where he sent off Uruguay's Agustin Cannobio for a dangerous challenge on Pau Cubarsi.

Match officials confirmed

• Referee: Ismail Elfath (USA)
• Assistant Referee 1: Corey Parker (USA)
• Assistant Referee 2: Kyle Atkins (USA)
• Fourth Official: Maurizio Mariani (Italy)

England, led by head coach Thomas Tuchel, and Argentina, under Lionel Scaloni, will contest a place in the World Cup final. The match kicks off at 8pm local time on Wednesday.