FIFA World Cup 2026: Meet officiating team for France vs Spain semifinal

The first semifinal of FIFA World Cup 2026, is set to take place as 2018 winners France will face Spain, who are looking to book their place in the finals since they won it the last time in 2010. The match will be played at the Dallas Stadium in Texas, USA on July 14.It has been confirmed FIFA that El Salvador’s Ivan Barton will officiate the game between the two European sides. Last time’s runners up France enter this mouth-watering clash after defeating Morocco with a 2-0 win in the quarter finals thanks to goals from Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele. La Roja qualified for the semis after a tight 2-1 victory over Belgium, thanks to another late winner the super sub Mikel Merino.
The officials for this exciting contest are:
Match Referee: Ivan Barton (El Salvador)Assant Referee 1: David Moran (El Salvador)Assant Referee 2: Antonio Pupiro (Nicaragua)Fourth Official: Glenn Nyberg (Sweden)Reserve Assant Referee: Mahbod Beigi (Sweden)
Know more about the referees for the France vs Spain semifinal
Ivan Barton (Match Referee)
The Salvadoran is one of CONCACAF’s most experienced officials and has been a led referee with FIFA since 2018.
Barton officiates in Primera Division de El Salvador and has also officiated in national team tournaments, such as the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, FIFA Club World Cup games, 2018 Concacaf Under-20 Championship, the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the CONCACAF Nations League, and the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil. Barton also refereed in the first leg of the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League Final between Seattle Sounders FC and UNAM, where he awarded three penalties.
The 34-year-old previously officiated at the 2022 FIFA World Cup where he officiated Germany’s shock 2-1 defeat to Japan and Saudi Arabia’s win against Mexico. He has already made headlines at this World Cup as he officiated the infamous Turkey vs Paraguay game, where he sent off Paraguay’s Miguel Almiron as he exchanged words with Türkiye’s Mert Müldür. Almiron became the first player to be sent off for covering his mouth and speaking during an on-field altercation. This dismissal was enforced under a strict new regulation—implemented the International Football Association Board (IFAB)—making it an instant red card for any player to cover their mouth during a confrontational situation.Story continues below this ad
He was questioned for his refereeing as he allegedly made decisions in favor of Mexico while refereeing a game against Honduras back in November 2023, including adding an exceptional amount of added time. Then during the subsequent penalty shootout, Barton infuriated the Honduran squad ordering Mexico’s César Huerta to retake his missed penalty three separate times, ruling that goalkeeper Edrick Menjívar moved off his line early. Barton then sent Menjívar off with a second yellow card for protesting, a series of events that led the Honduran Football Federation to threaten legal action over alleged bias and resulted in angry fans harassing Barton at the airport.
David Moran and Antonio Pupiro (Assant Referees)
David Moran has been a led FIFA official since 2018. He also officiates in the Primera Division de El Salvador. He has been Barton’s long time officiating partner.
Antonio Pupiro has been a led official with FIFA since 2021. The Nicaragua international regularly officiates in the Liga Primera de Nicaragua. He has previously officiated games at the FIFA Club World Cup in 2025 and has been a constant part of the trio comprising of Barton and Moran in running the games at this World Cup.
The entire crew faced heavy scrutiny during the Turkey vs Paraguay fixture due to Barton’s aggressive game management and controversial decisions.
Glenn Nyberg (Fourth Official)Story continues below this ad
The Swede Nyberg has been a led official with FIFA since 2016. He officiates in the Allsvenskan, the top-tier domestic league of Sweden. The 37-year-old has consently been one of the top officials in Europe over the last 10 years, and has been involved in many top-flight UEFA Champions League and international matches.
Nyberg has already worked in games such as Ghana vs Panama, Curacao vs Ivory Coast and Spain’s knockout bout against Austria, which the European champions comfortably won 3-0.

Mahmod Beigi (Reserve Assant Referee) 
Beigi has officiated in the Allsvenskan since 2012, amassing over 300 top-flight matches. He has been a led FIFA official since 2019. He often operates as a part of his fellow countryman Nyberg’s officiating team.
Written Madhav Sachdeva, an intern with the online sports desk