The first semi-final of the FIFA World Cup 2026 will take place as 2018 winners France take on Spain, who are looking to book their place in the final since they last won in 2010. The match will be played on July 14 at the Dallas Stadium in Texas, USA.
FIFA has confirmed that El Salvador’s Ivan Barton will play in the match between the two European teams. Last-time runners-up France beat Morocco 2-0 in the quarter-finals thanks to goals from Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele. La Rosa qualified for the semi-finals with a tight 2-1 win over Belgium thanks to another late winner from super sub Mikel Merino.
Officials for this exciting tournament are:
Referee: Ivan Barton (El Salvador)
Assistant Referee 1: David Moran (El Salvador)
Assistant Referee 2: Antonio Pupiro (Nicaragua)
Fourth Officer: Glenn Nyberg (Sweden)
Reserve Assistant Umpire: Mahbod Begi (Sweden)
Find out more about the referees for the France vs Spain semi-final
Ivan Barton (match referee)
The Salvadoran is one of CONCACAF’s most experienced officials and has been a FIFA-listed referee since 2018.
Barton has been an official in the Primera Division de El Salvador and has also officiated in national team competitions, such as FIFA World Cup qualifiers, FIFA Club World Cup games, 2018 CONCACAF U-20 Championship, 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup, CONCACAF Nations League, and B197 World Cup U19 FIFA. Barton also refereed the first leg of the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League Final between Seattle Sounders FC and UNAM, where he awarded three penalties.
The 34-year-old previously featured in the 2022 FIFA World Cup where he played in Germany’s 2-1 defeat by Japan and Saudi Arabia’s win against Mexico. He has already gained notoriety at this World Cup as he officiated the infamous Turkey vs Paraguay match, where he saw off Paraguay’s Miguel Almiron while exchanging words with Turkey’s Mert Mulder. Almiron became the first player to cover his mouth and speak during an on-field brawl. The dismissal was imposed under strict new rules implemented by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) – making it an instant red card for any player to cover their face in a confrontational situation.
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In a match against Honduras in November 2023, he was questioned about his refereeing after he allegedly made a decision in favor of Mexico, including the addition of exceptional time. During the ensuing penalty shootout, Barton angered the Honduran team by ordering Mexico’s Cesar Huerta to take back three missed penalties, with goalkeeper Edric Menjiver sliding off his line early. Barton then sent off Menjivar with a second yellow card for protesting, a series of incidents that threatened the Honduran Football Federation with legal action for alleged bias and resulted in angry fans harassing Barton at the airport.
David Moran and Antonio Pupiro (Assistant Referees)
David Moran has been a listed official of FIFA since 2018. They also operate in Primera Division de El Salvador. He is Barton’s longtime working partner.
Antonio Pupiro is a FIFA listed official from 2021. The Nicaraguan internationals regularly operate in the Liga Primera de Nicaragua. He has previously officiated the game at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and was a constant part of the playmaking trio of Barton and Moran at this World Cup.
Barton’s aggressive game management and controversial decisions led to harsh scrutiny of the entire crew during the Turkey vs Paraguay match.
Glenn Nyberg (Fourth Officer)
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Sweden Nyberg has been a listed official at FIFA since 2016. It operates in Sweden’s top-tier domestic league, the Allsvenskan. The 37-year-old has consistently been one of Europe’s top officials over the past 10 years and has featured in a number of top-flight UEFA Champions League and international matches.
Nyberg has already officiated in games such as Ghana vs Panama, Curaçao vs Ivory Coast and Spain’s knockout tie against Austria, which the European champions won comfortably 3-0.
Mahmod Begi (Reserve Assistant Referee)
Begi has made over 300 top-flight appearances in Allsvenskan since 2012. He is a listed official of FIFA since 2019. He often works as part of his colleague Nyberg’s executive team.
Written by Madhav Sachdeva, intern at Online Sports Desk