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Ismail Elfath

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

Ismail Elfath (Arabic: اسماعيل الفتح; born March 3, 1982) is a Moroccan-born American soccer referee for the Professional Referee Organization. He has been a referee in Major League Soccer since 2012 and a FIFA listed referee since 2016. He has also been selected to two FIFA World Cups, and was the fourth official for the 2022 World Cup Final.

Early life

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Elfath immigrated to the United States in 2001 at the age of 18 after winning a diversity visa lottery.[1][2] Elfath graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in mechanical engineering in 2006. As of 2022, Elfath resides in Austin, Texas.[2] He later became a naturalized US citizen.[3]

Career

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Elfath was first a Fourth official in MLS in 2011 and made his MLS refereeing debut in 2012.[4] Elfath became a FIFA listed official in 2016.[5]

Domestic

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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.[6]

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. [7]

Elfath was named the MLS Referee of the Year for the first time in his career on November 18, 2020.[8] He received the honor for a second time two years later on October 14, 2022.[9]

He was the referee for the MLS Cup in 2022 when LAFC hosted the Philadelphia Union.[10]

International

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On March 26, 2019, Elfath was selected to referee the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland.[11] 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.[12]

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.[13] Later that year Elfath took charge of the semi-final match at the FIFA Qatar 2019 Club World Cup.[14]

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.[15]

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.[16][17]

Elfath was selected as a referee for the 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup. He was appointed as the referee for the final between PSG and Flamengo. [18]

Elfath was the referee for the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup Final between Toluca FC and Tigres UANL.[19]

FIFA World Cups

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2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar

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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. [20]

Ismail Elfath was appointed Round of 16 match between Japan and Croatia, where Croatia advanced on penalties. [21] 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. [22]

2026 FIFA World Cup North America

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Ismail Elfath was selected as a referee for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America with his assistants Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins.[23] 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.[24] 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.[25]

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. However, Norway advanced to the quarterfinals 2-1. [26]

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

See also

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References

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  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 "Bohls: Whether it's World Cup or world peace, Austin's Ismail Elfath in the middle of it". Austin American-Statesman. November 20, 2022. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  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. ↑ Chefren (December 17, 2025). "Law 5 - The Referee: 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup - Referee Appointments". Law 5 - The Referee. Retrieved May 28, 2026.
  19. ↑ 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.
  20. ↑ "Game Report". www.espn.com. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
  21. ↑ 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.
  22. ↑ 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.
  23. ↑ "Eight U.S. Soccer Referees Appointed For This Summer's FIFA World Cup". ussoccer.com. Retrieved May 28, 2026.
  24. ↑ "Game Report". www.espn.ph. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
  25. ↑ 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.
  26. ↑ 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.
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