As England and Argentina prepare to clash in the second semifinal of the FIFA World Cup 2026 later today, the stage is set for a match brimming with history, drama and huge stakes. The winner in Atlanta will clash with Spain for the title, while the loser will take on France in a third-place playoff. For England, it’s a chance to reach their first World Cup final in 60 years. For Argentina, it’s an opportunity to become the first nation since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back titles.
However, even before a ball has been kicked, the appointment of Major League Soccer referee Ismail Elfath has ignited a fresh row and angered English fans, leading to allegations of the tournament being fixed for another Lionel Messi win.
The Moroccan-born American referee has a history with the Argentine superstar: in the five matches Elfath has officiated in some capacity, Messi’s teams have never lost or drawn—they have only won. The undefeated record includes two high-stakes finals. Elfath was the fourth official for the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar, where Argentina famously defeated France in a penalty shootout. A year later, after Messi’s move to Inter Miami, Elfath refereed the inaugural Leagues Cup final, where Miami beat Nashville SC, again on penalties, winning a first trophy for Messi in the US.
Elfath, a two-time MLS Referee of the Year, will be joined by fellow Americans Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins as his assistants for the England-Argentina semifinal encounter. He officiated in two group-stage matches in this World Cup and also Norway’s round-of-16 win over Brazil.
Argentina have been in the midst of a storm at this World Cup after several controversial refereeing decisions allegedly favoured the defending champions in their run-up to the last-four clash.
While fans and football experts debate the officiating, Argentina’s coach Lionel Scaloni is focused on his team’s performance. Despite Messi’s eight goals, the world champions have had a challenging path to the last four, needing to scrap their way past Cape Verde, Egypt, and Switzerland. Scaloni is confident in his team’s fighting spirit but knows it won’t be enough against an English side powered by in-form attackers Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham.
He also addressed the historical and political tensions surrounding the fixture, stemming from the 1982 war between Britain and Argentina. He firmly separated the sport from politics. "The truth is, this is a football match," Scaloni said. "I can't mix things, especially out of respect for what happened so many years ago. That was a very sad period in our history, and there isn't much we can do about that—that's the truth—and this is a football match, nothing more."
While England hold a favourable 3-1-1 record against Argentina in their World Cup history, the two defeats are part of the nation's footballing lore: the 2-1 quarterfinal loss in 1986 featuring Diego Maradona's infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal, and a penalty-shootout defeat in 1998 marred by David Beckham's red card.
The much-awaited encounter will see some of the tournament's most prolific scorers. While Kane started strong, Jude Bellingham has been sensational lately, scoring consecutive braces to join his captain and France’s Ousmane Dembele with six goals each. But they are all chasing the 39-year-old Messi, who is tied with France's Kylian Mbappe for the Golden Boot lead with eight goals. In his record sixth World Cup, Messi has already broken the tournament’s career records for goals (21) and assists (10).
