The truth behind referee Ismail Elfath’s 100% record with Lionel Messi

The fact, in and of itself, is true: Lionel Messi has never lost a game officiated by Ismail Elfath.

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Elfath, who works in MLS, has overseen five of Messi’s matches.

All five of those matches ended in wins by Messi.

But there’s more to this story than that — Elfath’s assignment to England-Argentina for the World Cup semifinal is far from a sign that the tournament is «rigged» for Messi.

Does Ismail Elfath favor Messi?

There’s no actual evidence that this ref plays favorites with Messi.

The reality is best spelled out by Kyle Bonn of The Sporting News in this post on X:

I can’t believe I’m addressing this, but here we are.

Calling Ismael Elfath «Messi’s favorite referee» is ludicrous and intentionally disingenuous.

You know why Elfath has overseen a bunch of Messi wins? Because Messi wins a lot. So has other refs. Stop rage baiting.

— Kyle Bonn (@the_bonnfire) July 14, 2026

Refs on Messi matches are a lot more likely to see Messi win than lose. That’s just how this works.

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Elfath is an incredible story in his own right. He emigrated from Casablanca to Texas when he was 18 after winning a diversity visa lottery, and he arrived with almost no money. 

His officiating career followed a short playing career, but it almost ended when he needed two knee operations after Copa America 2024.

Now, Elfath is on the whistle for a World Cup semifinal. It’s the biggest day of his career.

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