Referee with a history linked to Messi will referee England vs Argentina

The clash is scheduled for Wednesday, at 8pm, mainland Portugal time, at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, in Atlanta, in the state of Georgia. Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins, also from the United States, will be the assistants.

Italian Maurizio Mariani was appointed as fourth referee, while Daniele Bindoni, also from Italy, will be a reserve assistant.

The first semi-final will be played this Tuesday, also at 8pm, between France and Spain, at AT&T Stadium, in Arlington, Texas. Honduran Ivan Barton will lead the refereeing, accompanied by assistants David Moran and Antonio Pupiro.

Swedish Glenn Nyberg will be the fourth official, and Mahbod Beigi will act as a reserve assistant.

The winners of the two semi-finals will face each other in the World Cup final on Sunday at 8pm at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The match for third place will be held on Saturday, at 10pm, at Hard Rock Stadium, in Miami

The match officials for @FIFAWorldCup match 102 have been appointed. ?

History with Messi has repercussions on social media

The selection of Ismail Elfath for England and Argentina sparked comments on social media because of the referee's history in notable matches involving Lionel Messi.

Elfath was the fourth official at the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar, which Argentina won against France on penalties. At the time, Polish Szymon Marciniak was responsible for commanding the game.

Months later, in August 2023, Elfath returned to participate in a decision with Messi on the field. He refereed the Leagues Cup final between Inter Miami and Nashville SC, also decided on penalties, with the Argentine's team winning.

As a result, the referee was present both at the first world title won by Messi and at the player's first cup wearing the Inter Miami shirt. Elfath's connection with MLS, the championship in which the Argentine plays, also came to be mentioned in the discussions.

Fourth game in the World Cup

This will be Ismail Elfath's fourth match at the 2026 World Cup. Before the semi-final, he worked on the 2-2 draw between the Netherlands and Japan, Spain's 1-0 victory over Uruguay and Norway's 2-1 victory over Brazil.

The performance in the game between the Netherlands and Japan passed without any major controversies. In the other two matches, however, the referee was questioned.

After Uruguay and Spain, coach Luis de la Fuente criticized the way Elfath conducted the game and stated that the referee allowed excessive aggression on the part of the Uruguayans.

In Norway's victory over Brazil, the North American had to consult the VAR before scoring a penalty against Matheus Cunha, a move that also provoked complaints.

France and Spain compete for first place in the World Cup final

Undefeated in the tournament, teams will face one of the most anticipated clashes of the World Cup this Tuesday in Dallas. The winner will face England or Argentina in next Sunday's decision.