{"id":4492,"date":"2026-06-14T18:01:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T18:01:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=4492"},"modified":"2026-06-14T18:01:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T18:01:12","slug":"these-world-cup-referees-have-ties-to-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=4492","title":{"rendered":"These World Cup referees have ties to Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"

AUSTIN, Texas<\/strong> – <\/span>Texas has quietly become a pipeline for some of the world\u2019s top soccer referees, a connection that will come into sharper focus as the FIFA World Cup returns to the United States in 2026, with Dallas and Houston set to host multiple matches.<\/p>

Read more Live updates: Germany vs Curacao 2026 FIFA World Cup match in Houston<\/a><\/p>

From Austin to Brownsville, officials with ties to the Lone Star State have risen through the ranks of Major League Soccer and onto the sport\u2019s biggest stages, including the men\u2019s and women\u2019s World Cups.<\/p>

What we know:<\/p>

<\/div>

Ismail Elfath is a Moroccan-born referee who immigrated to the United States as a teenager. Now based in Austin, Elfath has been an MLS referee since 2012 and joined FIFA\u2019s international list in 2016. The University of Texas graduate had an an unconventional path to officiating.<\/p>

In an interview with Pflugerville Football Club (PFC), Elfath said he became a referee when a complaint to a match official turned into an invitation to try the role himself.<\/p>

Elfath has since built a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 that includes officiating at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where he refereed two group-stage matches and a Round of 16 game, and served as a fourth official for the FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and France.\u00a0<\/p>

He also has twice been named MLS Referee of the Year.<\/p>

\n
\"Referee<\/figure>\n

Referee Ismail Elfath gestures during the CONCACAF Champions Cup 2026 final match between Toluca and Tigres UANL at Nemesio Diez Stadium on May 30, 2026 in Toluca, Mexico.<\/span> (Manuel Velasquez \/ Getty Images)<\/strong><\/span><\/p> <\/div><\/div>

Dig deeper:<\/p>

Armando Villarreal\u2019s journey began in South Texas, where he started officiating youth games in Brownsville at age 18. He worked his way through the U.S. Soccer system and made his MLS debut in 2012, later earning a spot on FIFA\u2019s international referees list in 2015.<\/p>

Read more Area along Texas coast being monitored for potential tropical development<\/a><\/p>

Villarreal has officiated multiple high-profile matches, including MLS Cup finals and CONCACAF Gold Cup tournaments, and was selected as a video assistant referee for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.\u00a0<\/p>

Like players, referees are evaluated on performance, with each assignment carrying weight in determining future opportunities.<\/p>

Local perspective:<\/p>

On the women\u2019s side, American assistant referee Brooke Mayo represents a newer generation of officials reaching the global stage. Mayo grew up in Garland, Texas and began refereeing soccer at age 13.\u00a0She was selected to officiate the 2023 FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup final between Spain and England, Mayo received the assignment after a culmination of years of work climbing through domestic and international ranks.<\/p>

Mayo\u2019s presence alongside officials like Elfath and Villarreal underscores the growing Texas footprint in FIFA officiating.<\/p>

Big picture view:<\/p>

That presence comes as North Texas prepares to host one of the largest shares of matches in the expanded 2026 World Cup. The convergence of elite officiating talent and two major host cities highlight Texas\u2019 increasing influence in the global game, not just through players and fans.<\/p>

Read more First Texas World Cup games happen today<\/a><\/p> <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Texas has quietly become a pipeline for some of the world\u2019s top soccer referees, a connection that will come into sharper focus as the FIFA World Cup returns to the United States in 2026, with Dallas and Houston set to host multiple matches.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4490,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65,37,106,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-austin","category-fifa-world-cup","category-sports","category-texas"],"yoast_head":"\nThese World Cup referees have ties to Texas - Houston Moving Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=4492\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"These World Cup referees have ties to Texas - 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