Ismail Elfath Leads First U.S.-Based Referee Crew at FIFA World Cup 2026

FIFA World Cup 2026 is underway, and just as U.S. players are looking to make their country proud in the first tournament on home soil in 32 years, so are the U.S.-based referees who will be part of calling the 104 matches in this summer’s competition.

The first U.S. referees took the pitch at Dallas Stadium to call what many are calling the best match of the tournament so far, the Group F contest between Netherlands and Japan on Sunday, June 14, which resulted in a 2-2 draw. Leading the crew was Ismail Elfath, a Moroccan-born Texan whose resume highlights matches all around the globe and at various levels of the game, including:

FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar , where he served as the fourth official in the Final between Argentina and France

2026 Concacaf Champions Cup Final between Liga MX clubs Toluca and Tigres

2022 MLS Cup between Philadelphia Union and LAFC in Major League Soccer

2013 USL Championship Final between Orlando City SC and the Charlotte Eagles.

Elfath is one of eight U.S. Soccer referees to serve in this year’s tournament, a historic marker for already one of the most elite refereeing programs in the world. The 20-year veteran officiated four matches at FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, so when he found out he would return to the sport’s biggest competition four years later, he was elated.

“It was a dream come true – again,” he said. “I already had an amazing experience in Qatar in 2022, but after being 13 months with a double knee surgery, which took me very close to retirement, this second World Cup is so much sweeter.”