All-American Referee Crew to Officiate Argentina-England FIFA World Cup Semifinal in Atlanta

For the first time in the men’s tournament history, an all-U.S. Soccer referee crew will officiate a FIFA World Cup Semifinal. Ismail Elfath, Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins have been assigned the Argentina-England match on Wednesday, July 15 at Atlanta Stadium.

This will be the fourth match for the trio during this tournament, having previously officiated the group stage matches between Japan and the Netherlands as well as Spain and Uruguay. The crew also refereed the Round of 16 match between Norway and Brazil. The trio previously worked three matches together at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, with Elfath earning the fourth official assignment for the Final featuring Argentina and France.

Elfath, Parker and Atkins are three of the record eight U.S. Soccer referees who were appointed for this summer’s FIFA World Cup, tied for the most of any country in the world. In the crew’s first group stage match in Dallas, they were also joined by American Video Assistant Referee Armando Villareal.

Wednesday’s match is not the first time U.S. Soccer referees made history at Atlanta Stadium this summer. In the Group A match between Czechia and South Africa on June 18, referee Tori Penso and assistant referees Brooke Mayo and Kathryn Nesbitt became the first all-women all-American crew to officiate a match in the men’s tournament.

The number of appointments this summer reflects the depth, quality and diversity of U.S. refereeing, demonstrating that American officials are among the most trusted and respected in the world.