Spain and France meet in a World Cup semifinal featuring Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé. France reached the last four after wins over Morocco, Paraguay and Sweden in the knockout rounds, while Spain advanced by beating Austria, Portugal and Belgium despite under‑delivering on expected flair.
FIFA have elected Salvadoran referee Iván Barton to officiate the match. Barton drew attention earlier in the tournament when he sent off Paraguay’s Miguel Almirón after Almirón covered his mouth while speaking to Turkey’s Mert Müldür. The dismissal occurred in the third minute of added time in the first half of that group stage contest.
Thirty‑five‑year‑old Barton has officiated at the highest levels in the region. His résumé includes several CONCACAF fixtures, notably the Champions Cup final and Gold Cup finals.
France v Spain will be the fourth 2026 World Cup game Barton will oversee. He previously took charge of Japan’s group stage draw with Sweden and Switzerland’s penalty‑shootout win over Colombia in the round of 16. Barton has issued 11 yellow cards so far in the tournament.
He has not previously refereed a match involving Spain, but was the official for France’s 4-0 Olympic defeat to hosts Japan in 2021. In that game Barton sent off Randal Kolo Muani for a studs‑up challenge on Japan midfielder Koji Miyoshi.
