The referee for the highly anticipated Group E finale between Japan and Sweden at the 2026 FIFA World Cup has been confirmed as Ivan Arcides Barton Cisneros of El Salvador.

The two sides meet at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with kick-off set for 12am British time. Both nations are fighting to secure second place and a guaranteed passage into the knockout rounds.

The officials

Barton Cisneros will be flanked by his compatriots David Moran and Nicaragua's Antonio Pupiro as assistant referees. Dahane Beida takes the role of fourth official, with Jerson Santos on standby as reserve assistant referee.

Barton's World Cup record

The 35-year-old brings considerable international experience to the fixture, having officiated at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. His notable appointments at the previous tournament included Japan's famous 2-1 victory over Germany, as well as England's 3-0 defeat of Senegal in the Round of 16.

Across four World Cup matches, Barton Cisneros has averaged just 1.5 bookings per game — a notably restrained figure. He issues a red card or awards a penalty roughly once every four matches at the tournament level.

In domestic and regional competitions, the picture differs: in the Saudi Pro League and CONCACAF tournaments, his booking rate rises to between four and five per game.

Recent tournament appearance

Earlier in this World Cup, Barton Cisneros took charge of Paraguay's 1-0 win over Turkey, a match remembered for Miguel Almiron receiving the first ever red card issued for covering his mouth — a historic disciplinary moment at this tournament.

With both Japan and Sweden desperate to avoid an early exit, all eyes will be on Barton Cisneros to manage what promises to be a tense and closely contested second-place battle.