Ismail Elfath to referee England vs Argentina World Cup semi-final | OneFootball

Ismail Elfath will referee England vs Argentina in Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final at 21:00 in Atlanta, his first at this stage. The 44-year-old American has been climbing the FIFA ladder.

According to L'Équipe, Elfath was born in Casablanca and moved to the United States at 18 on a Diversity Visa. He studied mechanical engineering in Austin, became a US citizen, played before turning to officiating, and reached MLS in 2012.

A FIFA referee since 2016, he ran the 2019 Under-20 World Cup final, Ukraine 3-1 South Korea, and worked at Tokyo 2021. At the 2022 World Cup he took charge of three matches, then served as fourth official for Argentina’s shoot-out win over France, 3-3, 4-2 on penalties. That link has already fuelled discussion on English social media before he meets the Albiceleste again.

His appointments have kept coming. This season he oversaw the Intercontinental Cup final between PSG and Flamengo, 1-1 after extra time, 2-1 on penalties, and the CONCACAF Champions Cup final.

At this World Cup he has already refereed three games, including Spain’s 1-0 win over Uruguay on 27 June. His display annoyed many in Spain, where he was viewed as too lenient towards Marcelo Bielsa’s side’s robust play, though he did dismiss Agustin Canobbio.

He also handled Netherlands vs Japan, 2-2 on 14 June, and Brazil’s last-16 defeat by Norway, 1-2 on 5 July. He will not take the final, but his rise continues with this semi-final appointment.

Source: L'Équipe