American referee Ismail Elfath appointed for semi-final
USA: FIFA has appointed American referee Ismail Elfath to officiate Wednesday’s FIFA World Cup semi-final.
The 44-year-old has overseen three matches at the tournament so far, including Japan vs. the Netherlands, Uruguay vs. Spain, and Norway’s Round of 16 victory over Brazil. During those games, he issued six yellow cards and one straight red card to Uruguay’s Agustin Canobbio for a dangerous challenge on Spain’s Pau Cubarsi.
This marks Elfath’s second FIFA World Cup, having also officiated in Qatar 2022, where he served as the fourth official for the final between Argentina and France.
A Major League Soccer referee since 2012 and a two-time MLS Referee of the Year, Elfath will be assisted by fellow Americans Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins, with Italy’s Maurizio Mariani serving as the fourth official.
Born in Morocco, Elfath moved to the United States at the age of 18 after winning a U.S. government diversity visa lottery.
