Morocco-Born Referee Ismail Elfath Performs Sujood After World Cup Semifinal

Casablanca – Morocco-born American referee Ismail Elfath performed sujood (prostration) after officiating the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinal between England and Argentina, a moment that quickly spread across social media. 

The 44-year-old referee, who was born in Casablanca before emigrating to the United States as a teenager, was appointed to oversee one of the tournament’s biggest fixtures as reigning champions Argentina booked their place in the World Cup final. 

Images and videos showing Elfath kneeling in prostration on the pitch after the match circulated widely online, with many supporters celebrating the gesture as a personal moment of gratitude following one of the most prestigious assignments of his refereeing career. 

Elfath’s journey to the top level of world football has been anything but conventional.

After moving to Texas through the U.S. Diversity Visa Lottery, he studied mechanical engineering while playing amateur football. Frustrated by the standard of officiating, he eventually swapped playing for refereeing, beginning a rise that would take him from Major League Soccer to FIFA’s biggest tournaments. 

He became an MLS referee in 2012, officiated the league’s first-ever VAR match in 2016, and steadily built an international reputation through assignments at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup, and the Africa Cup of Nations.

Elfath was also part of the officiating team for the 2022 FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and France as fourth official, making this year’s semifinal another milestone involving the reigning world champions.

Despite representing the United States internationally, Elfath has maintained close ties to his country of birth.

In 2025, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation appointed him to help strengthen Morocco’s refereeing development program before he later stepped away from the role for family reasons. 

Now, after another World Cup milestone, it was not only his performance with the whistle that attracted attention, but also a personal moment of faith that resonated with football fans around the world.