England and Argentina will face off in the second semifinal of FIFA World Cup 2026 in Atlanta on Wednesday.
Both teams are undefeated so far and have relied on moments of brilliance in order to reach the last-four, but one nation will see its title hopes crash in the penultimate round.
England won the last encounter between the two sides, in 2002, with a David Beckham penalty settling the affair 1-0.
Who is the referee for England vs Argentina FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinal?
American referee Ismail Elfath will take charge of the semifinal match on Wednesday. The 42-year-old has been an international referee for FIFA since 2016.
Elfath was named the MLS Referee of the Year in 2020. At World Cup 2022, Elfath officiated two group-stage games, a Round of 16 match and was the fourth official for the final between Argentina and France.
In this edition of the World Cup, he has officiated in three matches so far: group-stage matches, Uruguay vs Spain and Netherlands vs Japan, and the Round of 16 clash between Brazil and Norway.
Elfath has shown 880 yellow cards and 64 red cards in 247 fixtures, giving an average of 3.56 yellow cards per game. At this World Cup, he has shown eight yellow cards and one red card.
Why is Ismail Elfath called Lionel Messi’s favourite referee?
Elfath officiates in the Major League Soccer and has taken charge of games involving Messi’s Inter Miami five times. Inter Miami has won all these games and Elfath’s approach of protecting Messi from harsh tackles caused a raging debate among fans online.
The biggest controversy came during the Leagues Cup final in 2023 where Nashville SC player Anibal Godoy was reprimanded by Elfath for a tackle that was deemed soft by fans on social media. Godoy was eventually booked in the 54th minute for a tackle on Sergio Busquets. Inter Miami won that game 4-0.
A similar booking was handed out to Orlando City SC player Colin Guske for a tackle on Messi during their game in March this year.
Full list of match officials for England vs Argentina FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinal
- Main Referee: Ismail Elfath (USA)
- Assistant Referee 1: Corey Parkar (USA)
- Assistant Referee 2: Kyle Atkins (USA)
- Fourth Official: Maurizio Mariani (MEX)
- Reserve Assistant Referee: Daniele Bindoni (MEX)
Published on Jul 15, 2026
