FIFA has announced that Ismail Elfath, 44-year-old American referee, will take charge of England's World Cup semi‑final against Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday.

Elfath officiated group games between Japan and the Netherlands and Uruguay versus Spain, and the last‑16 win of Norway over Brazil. He issued six yellow cards and a straight red to Uruguay midfielder Agustin Canobbio for a high challenge on Spain defender Pau Cubarsi, after which Canobbio confronted the referee and grabbed his shirt.

The game will be shown live on BBC One. Fellow Americans Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins are assistants, while Italian Maurizio Mariani is the fourth official. He also played at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and was fourth official for the final between France and Argentina. In 2018, he sent off Cameroon striker Vincent Aboubakar after he removed his shirt celebrating a win over Brazil. Elfath has been in Major League Soccer since 2012 and has twice won MLS referee of the year; he was the referee when Lionel Messi won his first trophy for Inter Miami in the 2023 Leagues Cup final. Originally from Morocco, he moved to the United States at 18 after winning a US government‑backed diversity visa lottery.

England's Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor are ruled out of the final due to FIFA conflict‑of‑interest rules. Referees cannot officiate matches involving their own country, and English and Argentine officials are also barred from games involving the two nations because of the Falklands rivalry. Argentine referee Facundo Tello is similarly ineligible, and all three officials are excluded from the third‑place play‑off.