Ismail Elfath

Ismail Elfath
Elfath in 2019
Born (1982-03-03) March 3, 1982 (age 44)
Casablanca, Morocco
Other occupation
 IT Software Sales
Domestic
Years League Role
2012–2026 Major League Soccer Referee
International
Years League Role
2016–2026 FIFA Referee
2022-2024 FIFA VAR

Ismail Elfath (Arabic: اسماعيل الفتح; born March 3, 1982) is a former soccer referee. Born in Morocco, he worked for the Professional Referee Organization, and refereed Major League Soccer matches. Elfath was FIFA listed referee from 2016 through 2026, and was selected to two FIFA World Cups. He was the fourth official for the 2022 World Cup final. Elfath is also an American citizen and represented the United States at the World Cup.

Early life

Born in Morocco, Elfath immigrated to the United States in 2001 at the age of 18 after winning a Diversity Immigrant Visa. Elfath graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in mechanical engineering in 2006. As of 2026, Elfath resides in Austin, Texas. He later became a naturalized US citizen.

Career

Elfath was first a Fourth official in MLS in 2011 and made his MLS refereeing debut in 2012. Elfath became a FIFA listed official in 2016.

Domestic

Elfath was the referee during an August 2016 match between New York Red Bulls II and Orlando City B where the worldwide first on-field Video Assistant Referee review took place as the system was being tested in USL. Elfath was assigned the referee for the USL final between Orlando City and Charlotte Eagles in 2013. Then, in 2015, Elfath took charge of the MLS All Star Game. Elfath was named the MLS Referee of the Year for the first time in his career on November 18, 2020. He received the honor for a second time two years later on October 14, 2022. He was the referee for the MLS Cup in 2022 when LAFC hosted the Philadelphia Union.

International

On March 26, 2019, Elfath was selected to referee the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland. Elfath, along with American assistant referees Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins, was selected by FIFA to officiate the final of the tournament, which Ukraine won 3-1 over South Korea. On May 17, 2019, Elfath was appointed to officiate in the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup in the United States following his participation in the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Later that year Elfath took charge of the semi-final match at the FIFA Qatar 2019 Club World Cup.

In July 2021, Elfath took charge of three matches at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, including a quarter-final match between host nation Japan and New Zealand. Elfath was chosen as one of the two referees from CONCACAF for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations held in Cameroon from January 9 to February 6, 2022.

Ismail Elfath represented the United States at the 2024 Copa America. At the event, he suffered a knee injury that took him off the field for over a year to recover. Elfath returned in 2025 and was selected as a referee for the 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup. He was appointed as the referee for the final between PSG and Flamengo. Elfath was the referee for the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup Final between Toluca FC and Tigres UANL.

On October 11, 2026, Elfath announced his retirement from refereeing.

FIFA World Cups

2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar

During the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Elfath made his World Cup debut during the group H match between Portugal and Ghana. He awarded a penalty to Portugal in the 63rd minute and Portugal won the match 3-2. His second group stage match was between Cameroon and Brazil. In stoppage time, Vincent Aboubakar scored the game winning goal and removed his shirt in celebration. Elfath shook the hand of Aboubakar as he sent him off for a second yellow card.

Elfath was appointed Round of 16 match between Japan and Croatia, where Croatia advanced on penalties. He was later selected as the fourth official for the Final between Argentina and France. Ismail Elfath, Kathryn Nesbitt, Kyle Atkins, and Corey Parker were the first Americans to work a World Cup final.

2026 FIFA World Cup North America

Ismail Elfath was selected as a referee for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America with his assistants Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins. His first appointment was a group stage match between Japan and the Netherlands at the Dallas Stadium. The match ended in a 2-2 draw. He was appointed to another group stage match between Uruguay and Spain. In stoppage time, Elfath sent off Agustín Canobbio from Uruguay for a dangerous challenge. Spain won the match 1-0, and Uruguay was eliminated from the tournament.

Elfath was appointed to a round of 16 knockout match between Brazil and Norway. In the tenth minute of the match the VAR, Tatiana Guzman sent Elfath to the monitor where he awarded a penalty to Brazil. In stoppage time, Elfath whistled another penalty for Brazil for a careless challenge. Nevertheless, Norway advanced to the quarterfinals 2–1. Elfath was further appointed for the semifinal match between England and Argentina, making him the first American to whistle a World Cup semifinal. Elfath issued four yellow cards in the match, and Argentina advanced to the final.

2022 FIFA World Cup
Date Match Venue Round
November 4, 2022  Portugal vs  Ghana Stadium 974 Group Stage
December 2, 2022  Cameroon vs  Brazil Lusail Stadium Group Stage
December 5, 2022  Japan vs  Croatia Al Janoub Stadium Round of 16
2026 FIFA World Cup
Date Match Venue Round
June 14, 2026  Japan vs  Netherlands Dallas Stadium Group Stage
June 26, 2026  Uruguay vs  Spain Guadalajara Stadium Group Stage
July 5, 2026  Brazil vs  Norway New York New Jersey Stadium Round of 16
July 15, 2026  England vs  Argentina Atlanta Stadium Semifinal

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Ismail Elfath: From Casablanca to FIFA Referee- Dreams Become Realities". Muslim American Leadership Alliance. July 18, 2016. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  2. 1 2 Jones, Thomas (July 14, 2026). "Meet Ismail Elfath, who went from officiating Austin rec soccer to World Cup Semifinals". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
  3. ↑ Trujillo, Antonio (November 20, 2022). "Quién es Ismail Elfath, árbitro del Mundial Qatar 2022: historia, de qué país es, información, partidos y logros". Goal (in Spanish). Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  4. ↑ "Ismail Elfath – Professional Referee Organization". Archived from the original on July 4, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  5. ↑ FIFA.com. "Education & Technical - Referees by Association". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on May 11, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  6. ↑ nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, NICHOLAS MURRAY- (August 18, 2016). "PRO's Elfath Part of 'Ever-Evolving' History". USL Championship. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  7. ↑ "USL Championship Roll of Honor". Retrieved May 28, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Ismail Elfath named MLS Referee of the Year". www.mlssoccer.com. November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Ismail Elfath named MLS Referee of the Year, Corey Rockwell named MLS Assistant Referee of the Year," Major League Soccer (MLS), Friday, October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  10. ↑ "MLS Cup Roll of Honor". Retrieved May 28, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Three U.S. Soccer Referees Selected to Officiate at 2019 U-20 World Cup". www.ussoccer.com. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Concacaf referees earn another distinction with FIFA Under-20 World Cup Final assignment". www.concacaf.com. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  13. ↑ "Match Officials Appointed for 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup". www.goldcup.org. Archived from the original on May 17, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Ismail Elfath – Professional Referee Organization". Archived from the original on May 24, 2024. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Ismail Elfath – Professional Referee Organization". Archived from the original on February 27, 2024. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  16. ↑ "La liste des arbitres retenurs par la caf le Benin absent". beninwebtv.com. December 14, 2021. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  17. ↑ Bohls, Kirk. "Bohls: Whether it's World Cup or world peace, Austin's Ismail Elfath in the middle of it". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  18. ↑ Warren, Peter (July 15, 2026). "Meet the Texan who will serve as the referee for the Argentina-England semifinal". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
  19. ↑ Chefren (December 17, 2025). "Law 5 - The Referee: 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup - Referee Appointments". Law 5 - The Referee. Retrieved May 28, 2026.
  20. ↑ Arellano, Bryan; Brennan, Joe (May 30, 2026). "Who is Ismail Elfath, the referee for the CONCACAF Champions Cup final between Toluca and Tigres?". AS USA. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  21. ↑ Arnold, Jon. "History-making American World Cup referee Ismail Elfath announces retirement". USA TODAY. Retrieved October 12, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Game Report". www.espn.com. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
  23. ↑ nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, NICHOLAS MURRAY- (June 11, 2026). "From the USL Championship Final to the FIFA World Cup Final, inside Ismail Elfath's remarkable refereeing journey". USL Championship. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  24. ↑ Gates, Billy (December 17, 2022). "Austin's Ismail Elfath to be fourth official in 2022 FIFA World Cup final Sunday". KXAN-TV. Archived from the original on December 22, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  25. ↑ "Eight U.S. Soccer Referees Appointed For This Summer's FIFA World Cup". ussoccer.com. Retrieved May 28, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Game Report". www.espn.ph. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
  27. ↑ Whitehead, Jacob; Lang, Jack (June 27, 2026). "Uruguay crash out of another World Cup group stage as Spain secure top spot". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 27, 2026.
  28. ↑ Hall, Andy (July 5, 2026). "Who is Ismail Elfath, the referee for Brazil vs Norway in the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup?". AS USA. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  29. ↑ "Who is Ismail Elfath? England v Argentina referee for World Cup semi-final". The Independent. July 14, 2026. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
  30. ↑ Woitalla, Mike (July 14, 2026). "Referees: American Ismail Elfath set to make U.S. reffing history". Soccer America. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
  31. ↑ "ARG-ENG Box Score". www.espn.com. Retrieved July 16, 2026.