England is set to face Argentina on Wednesday, July 15, at Atlanta Stadium, with a spot in the World Cup final against Spain on the line. Spain confirmed its place in the final at New York/New Jersey Stadium by defeating France, 2-0, in the first semifinal.
England started the tournament strongly by beating Croatia 4-2, but followed that with a draw against Ghana and an unconvincing win over Panama to secure the top spot in its group.Â
The Three Lions then survived a major scare against DR Congo in the round of 32, needing a late comeback behind a brace from Harry Kane to advance with a 2-1 victory. From there, Jude Bellingham delivered two magnificent performances. He scored back-to-back braces against Mexico in the round of 16 and Norway in the quarterfinals, including the extra-time winner against Norway that sent England into the semifinals.
Argentina also had a strong start to the tournament, winning all three of its group-stage matches, but its path through the knockout rounds has been far from easy.
The defending champion needed extra time to survive Cape Verde, 3-2, in the round of 32. Argentina then fell 2-0 behind against Egypt and needed three goals from the 79th minute onward to complete a dramatic 3-2 comeback.Â
In the quarterfinals, Argentina squeezed past Switzerland 3-1 after extra time. Alexis Mac Allister gave Argentina an early lead before Switzerland equalized, but the game changed when Breel Embolo was sent off in the 72nd minute. Julián Ãlvarez scored the go-ahead goal in the 112th minute before Lautaro MartÃnez added a late insurance goal. Lionel Messi has remained critical to everything Argentina does, scoring eight goals through six matches at this World Cup.
Moroccan-born American referee Ismail Elfath will be the head official for the semifinal on home soil in the United States.
This is Elfaths second World Cup after also officiating at the 2022 tournament. It will be his fourth assignment of the 2026 World Cup after refereeing the 2-2 group-stage draw between the Netherlands and Japan, Spains 1-0 win over Uruguay and Norways 2-1 round of 16 victory over Brazil.
The semifinal will be the highest-level World Cup match Elfath has officiated as the center referee.
Messi also has a positive history with Elfath. The American served as the fourth official during Argentinas victory over France in the 2022 World Cup final. Since Messi joined Inter Miami in 2023, he has also won all four matches in which Elfath was the referee.
Fellow Americans Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins will serve as Elfaths assistants, while Italys Maurizio Mariani will be the fourth official.
Referee: Ismail Elfath (United States)
Assistant Referee 1: Corey Parker (United States)
Assistant Referee 2: Kyle Atkins (United States)
Fourth Official: Maurizio Mariani (Italy)
