Fifa has announced that American referee Ismail Elfath will officiate the World Cup semi-final clash between England and Argentina. The match is scheduled to take place in Atlanta on Wednesday at 8:00 PM BST and will be broadcast live on BBC One.
Elfath, 44, has previous experience in the tournament, having overseen group stage matches between Japan and the Netherlands, and Uruguay and Spain. He also refereed Norway's victory over Brazil in the round of 16. During these games, he issued six yellow cards and one red card, notably sending off Uruguay midfielder Agustin Canobbio for a high challenge. Canobbio subsequently confronted and grabbed Elfath's shirt.
Assisting Elfath will be fellow Americans Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins as assistant referees, with Italian Maurizio Mariani serving as the fourth official. Elfath also has experience from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where he was the fourth official for the final between France and Argentina. In a group game four years prior, Elfath shook hands with Cameroon striker Vincent Aboubakar before sending him off for removing his shirt while celebrating a goal against Brazil.
A veteran of Major League Soccer since 2012, Elfath has been named MLS referee of the year twice. He also refereed the 2023 Leagues Cup final, where Lionel Messi secured his first trophy for Inter Miami in a penalty shootout victory over Nashville SC.
Originally from Morocco, Elfath immigrated to the United States at age 18 after winning a diversity visa lottery. Meanwhile, English referees Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor, along with Argentine official Facundo Tello, have been ruled out of contention for the World Cup final. Fifa regulations prohibit referees from officiating matches involving their own country. Additionally, English and Argentine officials are barred from overseeing games between the two nations due to historical political rivalry, stemming in part from the 1982 Falklands conflict. These regulations also made Taylor ineligible for the 2022 World Cup final. All three referees are also ineligible for the third-place play-off as it is guaranteed to involve one of these nations.