ISTANBUL / Ahmed Hassan / Anadolu

The International Football Federation (FIFA) appointed on Tuesday an American refereeing crew led by Ismail Elfath, of Moroccan origin, to officiate the Argentina vs. England match in the second semifinal of the 2026 World Cup.

Assisting Elfath, aged 44 and born in Casablanca, Morocco, are his fellow Americans Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins as assistant referees, while Italian Maurizio Mariani will be the fourth official, and his compatriot Daniele Bindoni will serve as the reserve assistant referee.

The Argentina-England clash is the fourth match Elfath has officiated in the tournament, having previously handled Japan vs. Netherlands and Uruguay vs. Spain in the group stage, and Brazil vs. Norway in the knockout rounds.

The American referee has earned a reputation as one of the best referees in North America, and has been assigned to officiate several important matches, including the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup final between Toluca and Tigres. He also served as the fourth official in the 2022 World Cup final between France and Argentina.

This appointment ends Elfath's chances of officiating the final, as FIFA typically avoids assigning the same referee to the last two matches of the tournament. However, it boosts the prospects of Moroccan Jalal El Jayed and Jordanian Adham Makhadmeh as candidates to officiate the third-place match and the final.

The highly anticipated match between Argentina and England will take place on Wednesday at Atlanta Stadium in the US state of Georgia. The stadium has a capacity of approximately 71,000 spectators and features the largest retractable circular roof in the world.

England qualified for the semifinals after defeating Norway 2-1, while Argentina booked their spot in the last four by overcoming Switzerland 3-1 in the quarterfinals.

England aim to reach the World Cup final for the first time since 1966, while defending champions Argentina seek to continue their journey to retain the title and reach the final for the second consecutive time and the seventh in their history.