The 42-year-old football referee (right) in Netherlands vs Japan has been listed as an international referee for FIFA since 2016. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
The 42-year-old football referee (right) in Netherlands vs Japan has been listed as an international referee for FIFA since 2016. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
The Netherlands and Japan will open their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign at AT&T Stadium in Dallas on Sunday. The match will be officiated by a referee from the United States of America, and is known quite well to Japanese fans.
Ismail Elfath, a Moroccan-born American referee, will take charge of the first match of Group F. The 42-year-old football referee has been listed as an international referee for FIFA since 2016.
Elfath was selected to referee the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland and was then appointed to officiate in the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He was named the MLS Referee of the Year in 2020.
In the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, Elfath refereed two group stage games, the Round of 16 match between Japan and Croatia, and was the fourth official for the Final between Argentina and France.
With Elfath on the field, Japan was knocked out in the round of 16 in Qatar 2022 – a result that the Asian heavyweight will hope to bury ahead of the 2026 campaign.
Published on Jun 14, 2026
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