How Referee Ismail Elfath Helped Argentina to Reach 2026 World Cup Final?

The England vs Argentina semifinal match in the 2026 FIFA World Cup ended in a 2-1 win for Argentina, as they came back from a one-goal deficit to win it in injury time. Anthony Gordon opened the scoring for the Three Lions in the 55th minute from a Morgan Rogers cross.

La Albiceleste hit back in the 85th minute as one of the best midfielders in the world currently, Enzo Fernández, hit a long-range shot to equalize. The decisive goal came in the 92nd minute, when Lionel Messi's cross was met by Lautaro Martínez to send the Argentina fans into pure delirium.

However, fans have been buzzing about the fact that the referee of this match, Ismail Elfath helped Argentina. Is this true? Or is it just another speculation? We at Sportsdunia explore the possibilities of this statement in this article.

Did Ismail Elfath Really Favour Argentina?

Ismail Elfath officiated a high-intensity game once again, but has come out on top in this one too. From calling serious fouls to letting the game flow without many disruptions, the Moroccan-American referee had a strong hand over the fixture.

Elfath is known to officiate in the Major Soccer League (MLS), and fans, especially the English fans, had fears regarding his partiality towards one of the stars of the league, Lionel Messi. However, if we look at the bigger picture, it was not the case in this game.

England committed a total of 11 fouls in this game and were shown only one yellow card. On the other hand, the Argentina national football team committed 15 fouls and were shown three yellow cards.

This shows that Ismail Elfath was not entirely favouring La Albiceleste. It was pure dedication and hard work that helped Argentina secure the win even after going behind. So, the claims that Ismail Elfath helped Argentina are just a myth, as the game that unfolded in front of our eyes is the best proof of it.