Lionel Messi’s perfect record referee to officiate the Argentina v England semi-final
Lionel Messi will have a familiar referee in charge when Argentina take on England in the World Cup semi-finals on Wednesday, with FIFA appointing Ismail Elfath to officiate the sensational game in Atlanta.
The appointment attracted attention as Messi had never won a match involving Elfath. Teams captained by Argentina have won all five matches in which the Moroccan-American official has served either as a referee or in another refereeing capacity.
The statistic quickly sparked debate on social media, with some England fans questioning FIFA’s decision. However, there is no evidence to suggest that Elfath’s appointments had any effect on the results.
Elfath, 44, will oversee his fourth match at the 2026 World Cup, having previously overseen Japan’s 2-2 draw with the Netherlands and Spain’s 1-0 win over Uruguay in the group stage before taking charge of Norway’s shock 2-1 win over Brazil in the round of 16. He will be assisted by Americans Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins.
It’s not the first time Elfath has been involved in one of Messi’s biggest matches. He was the fourth official at the 2022 FIFA World Cup finals in Qatar, where Argentina beat France on penalties after a memorable 3-3 draw to lift the trophy.
WHO IS ISMAIL ELFATH?
Born in Casablanca, Morocco, Elfath moved to the United States in 2001 through the Diversity Visa Program. He later earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas, became an American citizen, and now lives in Austin, Texas.
His refereeing career began almost by accident. Elfath played as a striker for the amateur club Austin Lightning before becoming frustrated with the performance of the standards. One day, after repeatedly complaining about the referee, the league organizer invited him to take the whistle himself.
“I was an avid gamer,” Elfath told the Austin Chronicle in 2022.
“I was always complaining to the guy who ran the league, and then one day he said, ‘You’re always complaining. Why don’t you become an umpire?’
Elfath started off by officiating youth, high school and semi-pro matches while working full-time in IT sales. He joined Major League Soccer as the fourth official in 2011 and became a full-time referee the following season.
In 2016, he received his FIFA badge and also became a part of soccer history by overseeing the first on-pitch Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review during a USL Championship match between New York Red Bulls II and Orlando City B.
Over the years, Elfath has established himself as one of North America’s leading referees, winning the 2020 and 2022 MLS Referee of the Year awards.
He was also in charge of the 2023 League Cup final, where Messi inspired Inter Miami to their first trophy, defeating Nashville SC on penalties.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
15 Jul 2026 06:55 IST