Who is Ivan Barton, the referee for France vs Spain in the 2026 World Cup semifinal matchup?

The World Cup kicked off just over a month ago, and here we are getting ready for the semifinals. Just four teams remain and they are they are the same four teams that held the top four spots in the FIFA Rankings coming into the tournament.

Barton makes history

France and Spain were two of the favorites to lift the World Cup at the end of the tournament, but only one will get the chance to play the final on July 19th. The two European giants will meet on Tuesday for the first of two semifinals to decide our finalists, and the match will be refereed by Ivan Barton.

Barton is from El Salvador, and has been a FIFA sanctioned referee since 2018. He has spent most of his time as a referee of CONCACAF competitions including the National Cup and Gold Cup. The 35 year old is participating in his second World Cup after being selected by FIFA to officiate the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The Salvadoran ref made history earlier in the tournament when he became the first referee to send off a player who covered his mouth during a confrontation. Paraguay’s Miguel Almiron was caught covering his mouth while saying something to Turkish player Mert Müldür. Barton did the Japan - Sweden group stage match before being assigned the Switzerland vs. Colombia round of 16 match.

Attack vs. defense in first semi

This will be the first World Cup semifinal match Barton officiates, and it is going to be a big one. France have looked like the best team in the tournament, cruising through the competition with their incredible attacking potential led by Ousmane Dembele, Kylian Mbappe and Michael Olise.

They will be taking on a Spain side that has only allowed one goal in this entire tournament. Unai Simon broke a World Cup record keeping a clean sheet for over 600 minutes dating back to the Qatar World Cup. While Spain’s defense has been dominant they have needed late winners in each of their last two knockout matches, but Mikel Merino has played hero for La Roja in the round of 16 and the quarterfinals.

This World Cup was the biggest one ever. More teams, more groups, more matches, but in the end we are getting what we wanted. The top four teams in the world are the four that remain, and on Tuesday from Dallas we see a battle between the best attacking team against the team with the best defense.

Referee: Iván Barton (El Salvador)

Assistant Referee 1: David Moran (El Salvador)

Assistant Referee 2: Antonio Pupiro (El Salvador)

4th Official: Glenn Nyberg (Sweden)

Reserve Assistant Referee: Mahbod Begi (Sweden)

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