Read for 5 minutesUpdated: 15 July 2026 05:11 PM IST
A place in the finals of the World Cup is up for grabs as the second semi-final is set for an epic and much-awaited encounter. Defending champions Argentina and high-flying England. The match will take place on July 15 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
FIFA has officially appointed American referee Ismail Elfath to take charge of this blockbuster game, as he has a huge task in hand to fair the competition between two great nations.
England will enter the game on the back of a big quarter-final win against mighty Norway, thanks to another superb brace from their star midfielder Jude Bellingham, who canceled out Andreas Schjelderup’s left-footed cross-cum-finish to win the Man of the Match award in a 2-1 (AET) round of the day. On the other hand, La Albiceleste qualified for the semi-finals for the second consecutive World Cup with a 3-1 (AET) win over Switzerland. Alexis McAllister gave the champions an early lead, then Dan Ndoye equalized for the Swiss in the second half to extend the game to another 30 minutes. Striker Julian Alvarez needed a spectacular curling finish from outside the box and a sharp easy finish from substitute Lautaro Martinez to seal Argentina’s victory.
The executive team for this semi-final consists of an American trio and an Italian duo, which is:
- Referee: Ismail Elfath (United States)
- First Assistant Umpire: Corey Parker (United States)
- Second Assistant Umpire: Kyle Atkins (United States)
- Fourth Officer: Maurizio Mariani (Italy)
- Reserve Assistant Umpire: Daniel Bindoni (Italy)
Find out more about the referees for the England v Argentina semi-final
Ismail Elfath (match referee)
The 44-year-old American official brings top-flight experience to the game, having worked in Major League Soccer (MLS) since 2012, and has twice (2020 and 2022) been awarded the MLS Umpire of the Year. In 2016, he became a listed official of FIFA.
Elfath worked in his first World Cup in Qatar, in 2022, where he played three matches as a main player, including Portugal vs Ghana (3–2), Cameroon vs Brazil (1–0) and Japan vs Croatia (1–1 AET, 1–3 penalties). For his fair play in high-intensity games and composure to control pressure, FIFA selected him to act as the fourth official for the final between Argentina and France at the Lucelle Stadium.
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It will be the fourth game of the World Cup for the Morocco-born Texan, who took charge of the group-stage matches between Netherlands and Japan (2-2) and Uruguay and Spain (0-1). He also played in the round of 16 match between Norway and Brazil (2–1).
He has been entrusted with officiating several high-profile games, including the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup Final between Toluca and Tigres UANL, the 2022 MLS Cup Final between Philadelphia Union and LAFC, the FIFA U-20 World Cup Final between Ukraine and South Korea, and the CONCACAF Final in CONCACAF 22.
Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins (Assistant Referees)
Corey Parker has been a FIFA Listed Official since 2015. He has officiated in Major League Soccer (MLS) for over a decade and has twice (2015 and 2017) won the prestigious MLS Assistant Referee of the Year award. Parker has managed games with Elfath during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as well as the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Kyle Atkins is a highly regarded and respected figure in American soccer, having played over 180 top-flight domestic matches since making his MLS debut in 2014. He was named MLS Assistant Referee of the Year in 2024. Atkins was the video assistant referee at the 2022 tournament before FIFA replaced him as an assistant referee for the tournament.
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The American duo share great chemistry with their teammate Elfath and years of experience working together in MLS and international competitions will surely contribute to the right play in this high-stakes encounter.
Maurizio Mariani (Fourth Official)
The 44-year-old veteran official from Italy has been a FIFA-listed official since 2019. He has been officiating games in Serie A since 2013. Mariani has served as the head referee for three high-profile games in the tournament, including Saudi Arabia and Uruguay (1-1) and Colombia (1-1) and Colombia (1-1) and Colombia (Round3). Between Brazil and Japan (2-1). He recently referred to the 2026 UEFA Conference League final between Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano.
Daniel Bindoni (Reserve Assistant Referee)
Daniele Bindoni has been a listed official of FIFA since 2021. He has long been the primary touchline partner for fourth official Maurizio Mariani. Bindoni has been a top-tier Italian assistant referee since 2024.
Written by Madhav Sachdeva, intern at Online Sports Desk.