[#FIFAWorldCup2026] #VARUpdate🏴 Inglaterra vs Argentina 🇦🇷A: Ismail Elfath 🇺🇸A1: Corey Parker 🇺🇸A2: Kyle Atkins 🇺🇸4to: Maurizio Mariani 🇮🇹5to: Daniele Bindoni 🇮🇹VAR: Marco Di Bello 🇮🇹AVAR: Juan Lara 🇨🇱SVAR: Tatiana Guzman 🇳🇮SBVAR: Armando Villarreal 🇺🇸 SBAVAR: Joe… pic.twitter.com/qiWBG2HIlB— ArbitroInternacional (@ArbitroInteBlog) July 14, 2026
Fake Dr. Joe is claiming to have worked with Elfath as a "Mentor" (first I've heard he ever worked for PRO in any capacity), so now we know he'll do well today. My 1st assignment working for PRO after 15 years @ MLS was as "Coach/Mentor" to a young Ismail Elfath for his first pro year! I am so proud of his work and his appointment as the 1st USA Ref to work the middle of a World Cup Semi-Final! All the best to Ismail and his great crew!— Joe Machnik (@DrJoeMachnik) July 14, 2026
Ismail then deserves this assignment just on the basis that, against all odds, he became a great referee
“1st USA Ref to work the middle of a World Cup Semi-Final.” I think Tori Penso might have something to say about this. Geez he’s a buffoon.
It's semantics, but since FIFA refers to them as the World Cup and the Women's World Cup, he is technically correct.
David Socha in 1982 https://www.fifa.com/en/match-centre/match/17/59/295/996 EDIT: I just saw he put "in the middle" so technically correct Still, not great he glossed over Socha's accomplishments
Look. There is only one World Cup and we all know what that is. To try and somehow equate what Penso did to what Elfath accomplished is a disservice to Elfath. People can try and say "Men's World Cup" and "Women's World Cup" all they want, but when you say World Cup you mean Men's World Cup. It's huge accomplishment and bare in mind that only 16-20 years ago we didn't have an on field official in the 2006 and 2010 World Cups.
Of course it's a huge accomplishment. I never said otherwise. But let's not pretend Tori Penso at all crossed his mind. https://www.bing.com/videos/rivervi...tb=1&msockid=49e471f8806a11f191f670796905a782
Right. I mean this tournament itself shows that a finals referee at the Women’s World Cup is at best the equivalent of a group stage referee at the men’s World Cup. Both are accomplishments, but they are of different magnitudes
without entering the question of possible misogyny. The point is that Dr. Joe's shameless self-promoting is offensive to many in the referee family. I'm one of those.
You want misogyny? Go look at the camera work when introducing the referees for the Tunisia v Netherlands group stage game. Tell me what happens and before you ask yourself -- yes, that's the only game its happened at.
Where are you guys talking about? This is completely off topic but you're all off your rocker. What Penso has accomplished is miles more impressive than what Elfath has accomplished. Magnus Carlson would get his ass kicked by any decent computer, does that make what he's doing unimpressive? In 10 years, technology will be advanced enough that we could put out a field of robotic soccer players who would crush any men's team. Does that make messi quite mediocre? Women's sports are impressive because women are taking their (limited) physiology and using it in ways relative to other women's physiology. That's why the women's world cup fills up stadiums when division 2 college soccer does not. You can say the women's world cup less is commercially viable than the men's, you can say that elfath is faster than penso, and I guess that's both true. But less impressive? You're out of your minds.
Is it me or should discussion of the relative merits of this assignment be in General Assignments? I'm not in any way intending to quash the discussion, just that in a little over an hour there's going to be rather furious clicking on the game itself.