It’s a history-making moment for the refereeing milestones as a Salvadoran official will officiate a 2026 World Cup semifinal. As France and Spain clash for a spot in the final, the officials on the match are setting a precedent of their own.
Salvadoran referee Ivan Barton will be the primary official, becoming the first person from his country in charge of a World Cup semifinal. With France having Kylian Mbappe and and Spain Lamine Yamal in their lineups, this is a blockbuster matchup. But also other officials in this match are from Concacaf.
- Referee: Ivan Barton (El Salvador)
- Assistant Referee 1: David Moran (El Salvador)
- Assistant Referee 2: Antonio Pupiro (Nicaragua)
- Fourth Referee: Gleen Nyberg (Sweden)
- Fifth Referee: Mahbod Beigi (Sweden)
- VAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski (Poland)
- AVAR: Dennis Higler (Netherlands)
Ivan Barton in the 2026 World Cup
The 35-year-old also appeared in the 2022 World Cup, so he has quite a lot of World Cup experience. During this edition of the tournament, Barton has already officiated three games. He was in charge of group stage matches Turkiye vs Paraguay and Japan vs Sweden. He also officiated Switzerland vs Colombia in the Round of 16. Hence, he is yet to officiate either Spain or France.
Referee Ivan Barton issues a red card to Miguel Almiron #10 of Paraguay
Barton also had a controversial moment in the Turkiye vs Paraguay match, as he had to enforce the new “mouth-covering rule.” The rule states that if a player covers his mouth, he must receive a red card regardless of what’s said. Paraguay’s Miguel Almiron covered his mouth and was sent off by Barton.
Barton is making history in other ways too
Barton also surpassed Guatemalan Carlos Batres as the Concacaf referee with more World Cup appearances. Hence, it’s been a record-setting performance during the World Cup for the Salvadorian.
France and Spain know which uniforms they’ll use for the match, and so does Barton and the officiating crew. The teams also know Barton is a disciplinarian, so they have to be in their best behavior to avoid any suspensions for a possible final.
