FIFA has officially designated Ismail Elfath as the referee for the 2026 World Cup semi-final match between England and Argentina. The American referee brings experience from three previous matches during this tournament.
Elfath’s most recent assignment was the round of 16 clash where Norway defeated Brazil. During that fixture, he faced scrutiny for two significant penalty decisions. Initially, he did not award a foul after Kristoffer Ajer tripped Matheus Cunha, though the call was later corrected via VAR, leading to a missed penalty by Bruno Guimaraes. Later, during stoppage time, Elfath awarded Brazil a penalty for an alleged elbow by Leo Ostigard against Casemiro, which Neymar converted for a goal.
His previous officiating duties include the 2-2 draw between the Netherlands and Japan during the opening group stage and Spain’s 1-0 victory over Uruguay. In the Spain-Uruguay match, Elfath issued a red card to Augustin Canobbio for a serious foul during a particularly heated contest.
