FIFA appoints referee for Argentina vs England semi-final

15.07.26 FT World Cup

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Argentina

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The FIFA Referees Committee, chaired by Italian Pierluigi Collina, has appointed American referee of Moroccan descent Ismail Elfath to officiate the 2026 World Cup semi-final between Argentina and England.

Ismail Elfath to officiate Argentina vs England

Born in Casablanca in 1982, Ismail Elfath has already served as the main referee three times during this World Cup. He took charge of the Netherlands vs Japan and Spain vs Uruguay group stage fixtures, before being appointed for the round of 16 clash between Brazil and Norway.

He will be assisted by his compatriots Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins, who will serve as the first and second assistant referees, respectively.

Additionally, the Referees Committee has named Italian Maurizio Mariani as the fourth official. He will be responsible for supervising the technical areas and ensuring smooth operations on the benches of both teams.

The highly anticipated showdown between Argentina and England is scheduled to kick off on Wednesday, July 15 at 19:00 GMT, at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia (USA).

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Mohamed Rek |

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Mohamed Rek- sports content writer with over 10 years of experience creating football content in Arabic and French for platforms such as Foot Africa and Starafrica, combining accuracy, creativity, and audience engagement.

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