American referee Ismail Elfath will take charge of the World Cup semifinal clash between England and Argentina, set to take place on Wednesday, July 15, at Atlanta Stadium. This marks the highest-level World Cup match Elfath has officiated as the center referee.
Elfath, who was born in Morocco, is officiating in his second World Cup and his fourth assignment of the current tournament. He previously refereed the group-stage draw between the Netherlands and Japan, Spain's victory over Uruguay, and Norway's win against Brazil in the round of 16.
This semifinal will feature a notable connection for Argentina's star player, Lionel Messi. Elfath served as the fourth official during Argentina's 2022 World Cup final victory over France. Furthermore, since Messi joined Inter Miami in 2023, Argentina has won all four matches officiated by Elfath.
Assisting Elfath will be fellow Americans Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins, while Maurizio Mariani of Italy will serve as the fourth official.
England reached the semifinals after a strong start to the tournament, topping their group with wins against Croatia and Panama, and a draw against Ghana. Their knockout stage journey included a comeback victory over DR Congo in the round of 32, followed by consecutive braces from Jude Bellingham against Mexico and Norway.
Argentina, the defending champions, also began the tournament with a perfect group stage record. Their path to the semifinals has been challenging, requiring extra time to defeat Cape Verde and staging a dramatic comeback against Egypt. They advanced past Switzerland in the quarterfinals after a match that went into extra time and saw an opponent's red card. Lionel Messi has been a pivotal player for Argentina, scoring eight goals in six matches during the tournament.