Ismail Elfath, a Moroccan-born American referee, has been selected to take charge of the Group F opener between Netherlands and Japan at AT&T; Stadium during World Cup 2026.

Elfath brings considerable experience to this high-profile assignment. He began his refereeing career in MLS more than 15 years ago and has earned the league's Referee of the Year award twice in the past six years. He also featured prominently at World Cup 2022, officiating Japan's Round of 16 clash against Croatia and serving as fourth official during the historic final between Argentina and France.

A full American crew on the flanks

Elfath will be supported on the assistant referee lines by Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins, completing an all-American core officiating team for the match.

Fourth official duties fall to Katia Itzel Garcia, a Mexican official who primarily works in Liga MX and the international women's game. Garcia brings a strong résumé to the role, having officiated at the 2024 Summer Olympics, the 2023 Women's World Cup, and the 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup. Her fellow Mexican Sandra Ramirez serves as reserve assistant referee.

VAR team for Netherlands vs Japan

Armando Villarreal, another American MLS official, heads the Video Assistant Referee operation for this fixture. Villarreal was also part of the VAR setup at both World Cup 2022 and the 2023 Women's World Cup.

Brazilian official Rodolpho Toski, who officiates in his home country's Serie A and has held FIFA-listed status since 2017, serves as his VAR assistant. Polish referee Tomasz Kwiatkowski completes the three-man screen-based officiating team.