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The 2026 FIFA World Cup has reached its final four, and a Latino referee will be in charge of one of the tournament’s biggest matches.
FIFA has appointed El Salvador’s Iván Barton as the referee for Tuesday’s highly anticipated semifinal between France and Spain in Dallas.
The assignment marks another historic milestone for Barton, who becomes one of the few CONCACAF referees to officiate a World Cup semifinal. The 35-year-old has been a FIFA referee since 2018 and is appearing in his second World Cup after also being selected for Qatar 2022.
Barton has already made headlines during this tournament. In the group stage, he became the first referee in World Cup history to send off a player for covering his mouth while confronting an opponent, dismissing Paraguay’s Miguel Almirón during a match against Türkiye. He also officiated Japan vs. Sweden in the group stage and Switzerland’s Round of 16 victory over Colombia.
Tuesday’s semifinal presents one of the tournament’s most intriguing matchups.
France has looked like one of the most dangerous attacking teams at the World Cup, led by stars including Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise.
Standing in their way is a Spanish side built on defensive excellence. Spain has conceded just one goal throughout the tournament, with goalkeeper Unai Simón setting a World Cup record by going more than 600 consecutive minutes without allowing a goal dating back to the 2022 tournament.
The winner will advance to Sunday’s World Cup final.
Referee: Iván Barton (El Salvador)
Assistant Referee 1: David Morán (El Salvador)
Assistant Referee 2: Antonio Pupiro (El Salvador)
Fourth Official: Glenn Nyberg (Sweden)
Reserve Assistant Referee: Mahbod Beigi (Sweden)
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