5 min readUpdated: Jul 15, 2026 05:11 PM IST
The place in the World Cup final is up for grabs as the second semifinal is set for an epic and much awaited encounter between the defending champions Argentina and the high flying England. The match will take place at the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on July 15.
FIFA has officially appointed American referee Ismail Elfath to take charge of this blockbuster game, as he has got a massive task on his hands to fairly conduct this showdown between two of the very best nations.
England will enter the game after a big win against the sturdy Norway side in the quarters, thanks to another splendid brace by their star midfielder Jude Bellingham who cancelled out Andreas Schjelderup’s left footed cross-cum-finish to round off the day with a Man of the Match award in a tight 2-1 (AET) win. On the other side, La Albiceleste qualified for the semifinals for a second successive World Cup after a 3-1 (AET) victory over Switzerland. Alexis Mac Allister provided the early breakthrough for the champions, before the Swiss equalised through Dan Ndoye in the second half and the game was further extended by 30 mins. It required a spectacular curling finish from outside the box by striker Julian Alvarez and a sharp instinctive finish from the substitute Lautaro Martinez to take the Argentines through.
The officiating team for this semifinal consists of an American trio and Italian duo, which is:
- Match Referee: Ismael Elfath (United States)
- First Assistant Referee: Corey Parker (United States)
- Second Assistant Referee: Kyle Atkins (United States)
- Fourth Official: Maurizio Mariani (Italy)
- Reserve Assistant Referee: Daniele Bindoni (Italy)
Know more about the referees for the England vs Argentina semifinal
Ismael Elfath (Match Referee)
The 44-year-old American official brings a top-flight experience to the games as he has been officiating in the Major League Soccer (MLS) since 2012 and has been awarded the MLS Referee of the Year twice (2020 and 2022). He became a listed FIFA official in 2016.
Elfath worked at his first World Cup in Qatar, 2022, where he officiated three matches as the main man including games such as Portugal vs Ghana (3-2), Cameroon vs Brazil (1-0) and Japan vs Croatia (1-1 AET, 1-3 on penalties). For his fair conduct of play and calm in controlling the pressure in high intensity games, he was selected by FIFA to serve as the Fourth Official for the Final between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium.
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This will be the fourth game of this World Cup for the Morocco-born Texan, who took charge of group-stage matches between the Netherlands and Japan (2-2) as well as Uruguay and Spain (0-1). He also officiated the Round of 16 game between Norway and Brazil (2-1).
He has been tasked with managing a number of high-profile games including the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup Final between Toluca and Tigres UANL, 2022 MLS Cup Final between Philadelphia Union and LAFC, FIFA U-20 World Cup final between Ukraine and South Korea, and CONCACAF final in 2017.
Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins (Assistant Referees)
Corey Parker has been a listed FIFA official since 2015. He has been an official in Major League Soccer (MLS) for more than a decade and has won the prestigious MLS Assistant Referee of the Year award twice (2015 and 2017). Parker has managed the games alongside Elfath during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as well as the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Kyle Atkins is a very prominent and respected figure in American soccer, as he has run the lines for over 180 top-flight domestic matches since making his debut in 2014 in the MLS . He was named the MLS Assistant Referee of the Year in 2024. Atkins was a Video Assistant Referee at the 2022 tournament, before FIFA switched him to an assistant referee for this tournament.
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The American duo share good chemistry with their fellow countryman Elfath, and the experience of working together for years in MLS and international tournaments will definitely contribute to fair play in this high-stakes clash.
Maurizio Mariani (Fourth Official)
The 44-year-old veteran official from Italy has been a listed official with FIFA since 2019. He has been officiating games in Serie A since 2013. Mariani has served as the main referee for three high-profile games this tournament, including the group stage games between Saudi Arabia and Uruguay (1-1), Colombia and DR Congo (1-0) and the Round of 32 game between Brazil and Japan (2-1). He also recently refereed the 2026 UEFA Conference League Final between Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano.
Daniele Bindoni (Reserve Assistant Referee)
Daniele Bindoni has been a listed FIFA official since 2021. He has been serving as the primary touchline partner for the fourth official Maurizio Mariani for a long time. Bindoni has been a top-tier Italian Assistant Referee since 2024.
Written by Madhav Sachdeva, an intern with the online sports desk.
