Moroccan-American football referee Ismail Elfath will take charge of the high-stakes FIFA World Cup semifinal between England and Argentina at Atlanta Stadium on Wednesday.

This will be the 44-year-old's fourth match of the tournament, following the 2-2 draw between Japan and the Netherlands, Spain's 1-0 win over Uruguay in the group stage, and Norway's stunning 2-1 round-of-16 victory against Brazil.

Born in Casablanca, Morocco, Elfath moved to the United States in 2001 at age 17 through the Diversity Visa Program. He earned a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Texas and later became a naturalized US citizen.

Now residing in Austin, Texas, his refereeing career began almost by accident. After playing as a striker for amateur side Austin Lightning, poor officiating decisions led him to take up the whistle himself.

Elfath started as a fourth official in MLS in 2011 and became a referee the following year. He was listed as a FIFA referee in 2016 and has been named MLS Referee of the Year twice (2020, 2022).

At the 2022 World Cup, he officiated two group matches and a knockout game, and served as fourth official for the final between Argentina and France. He gained attention for smiling and shaking hands with Cameroon's Vincent Aboubakar after sending him off for a second yellow card.

The 2026 edition is Elfath's second World Cup, and he is one of a record eight US referees at the tournament. Across three matches, he has issued seven yellow cards and one red.

For the semifinal, Elfath will be assisted by fellow Americans Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins, with Italy's Maurizio Mariani as fourth official and Daniele Bindoni as reserve assistant.

Source: www.aljazeera.com