The afternoon update on the 2026 World Cup schedule in Kyiv time: while Spain is already waiting for its opponent in the final after yesterday's victory over France (2:0), today, 15 July, at 22:00 Kyiv time at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, the second semi-final kicks off — England vs Argentina. The main talking points of the morning are the referee appointment, coaches' reactions, and the ticketing frenzy surrounding the match.
FIFA appoints American referee Ismail Elfath
The main referee for the England vs Argentina match has officially been named as Ismail Elfath (USA). His assistants will be fellow Americans Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins. This is already the fourth match for the trio at this tournament: they previously officiated the group-stage games Japan vs Netherlands and Spain vs Uruguay, as well as the round-of-16 match Norway vs Brazil.
Elfath, 44, was born in Casablanca, Morocco, but has been a US citizen since 2001 and a FIFA referee since 2016. At the 2026 World Cup he has shown six yellow cards and one red — to Uruguay's Agustín Canobbio. Notably, at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Elfath served as the fourth official in the final between Argentina and France. The British press has already reacted critically to the appointment, hinting at a possible conflict of interest — although no official objections have been received from the English Football Association.
Tuchel criticises England after the quarter-final — and sets his sights on revenge
Following the hard-fought victory over Norway in the quarter-final, England head coach Thomas Tuchel made no effort to hide his dissatisfaction with the team's performance, calling it "sloppy", "not fast enough" and "riddled with technical errors". At the same time, he praised the players' mental resilience. Ahead of today's match, the squad held a closed training session in Atlanta; the official line-up is expected closer to kick-off.
Argentina, for their part, reached the semi-finals after beating Switzerland (3:1) in the quarter-final, with Lionel Messi once again finding the net. It was the Argentine's eighth goal of the tournament — he leads the race for the Golden Boot.
England vs Argentina tickets up 34% in price
Demand for tickets to today's match is breaking records: according to secondary market data, prices have risen by 34% over the past three days. It is the first World Cup meeting between these two sides since 2002, and Messi and the England national team have never previously faced each other at an official tournament — adding extra symbolic weight to the fixture.
A detailed 2026 World Cup schedule in Kyiv time: France vs Spain and England vs Argentina is available in the corresponding article on the site. We also remind you that Spain has already reached the final after yesterday's win over France.
2026 World Cup schedule in Kyiv time: what's next
After today's semi-final, the tournament enters its home stretch. Both semi-finals this week will determine the pair of finalists: the third-place play-off is scheduled for Saturday, 18 July (at 00:00 Kyiv time in Miami), and the 2026 World Cup Final will take place on Sunday, 19 July, at 22:00 Kyiv time at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Tonight — England vs Argentina in Atlanta (22:00 Kyiv time); a detailed match preview will follow.
Photo: via ussoccer.com · Editorial (source)
