FIFA has appointed American referee Ismail Elfath to officiate the 2026 World Cup semi-final clash between England and Argentina.
Elfath has already handled three matches at the tournament, including Norway’s last-16 victory over Brazil, where his decisions drew significant attention.
During that match, he initially waved play on after a challenge by Kristoffer Ajer on Matheus Cunha before VAR intervened to award Brazil a penalty, which Bruno Guimarães missed. Later, Elfath awarded another penalty in stoppage time for an apparent elbow by Leo Østigård on Casemiro, allowing Neymar to score a late consolation.
The 42-year-old also refereed the Netherlands’ 2-2 group-stage draw with Japan and Spain’s 1-0 win over Uruguay. In the latter, he issued a red card to Uruguay’s Agustín Canobbio for serious foul play in a heated encounter.
Elfath’s appointment adds further scrutiny ahead of the high-stakes semi-final between two of football’s biggest rivals.
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