Kinshasa, July 13th, 2026 (CPA). – The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has appointed a Uruguayan referee to officiate the match between France and Spain on Tuesday at the Dallas Stadium in the United States, in the semi-final of the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, according to *L’Équipe*, a French daily newspaper, consulted on Monday by CPA. “The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has appointed (Uruguayan referee) Ivan Barton to referee the 2026 World Cup semi-final between France and Spain on Tuesday,” it is read. According to the source, his first assistant will be his compatriot, David Moran, and his second assistant will be Antonio Pupiro from El Salvador. However, it was reported that the Swedes Glenn Nyberg and Mahbod Beigi will act as the fourth official (protocol referee) and the referee in charge of VAR (Video Assistant Referee) respectively.
Ivan Barton and his legacy at the 2026 World Cup
Ahead of the first semi-final of the 23rd FIFA World Cup, for which Ivan Barton has been appointed as the centre referee, this referee has already made a name for himself through his application of certain FIFA innovations during this tournament in the Americas. “Ivan Barton had sent off Paraguay’s Miguel Almiron for covering his mouth with his hand whilst speaking to his opponent Mert Müldür during the 1–0 victory over Turkey in the group stage. The Turkish full-back had immediately reported the incident to the referee, who had consulted VAR to review the incident and send off the Atlanta player just before half-time.”
At this World Cup, FIFA has introduced a series of new rules, including one to send off a player who covers their mouth, in order to curb racist and/or abusive behaviour. According to paragraph 4 of Law 12 of the IFAB, players, substitutes or substituted players must be sent off if they “cover their mouth (with their hand, arm or shirt) whilst addressing an opponent in a provocative, mocking or offensive manner, or in a provocative, offensive or mocking situation” . “If it is a friendly conversation, they can carry on without any problem. But in the case of a ‘confrontational’ conversation, it becomes completely prohibited,” had explained Italian Pierluigi Collina, a former international referee and head of refereeing at FIFA.ACP/