France and Spain face each other in Dallas this evening fighting for a place in the World Cup Final on Sunday.
The victor will play the winner of England versus Argentina tomorrow night, both of which are tantalising clashes with significant historical background.
Given what’s at stake, tonight’s contest is expected to be a testy, high-pressure affair – so, who is taking charge of it all?
Who is the referee for France vs Spain?
The final Round of 16 match will be officiated by referee Ivan Barton from El Salvador, who has developed quite a reputation for himself this tournament.
It will be his fourth match of the tournament, having previously officiated group matches between Turkey and Paraguay and Japan and Sweden, as well as the knockout fixture between Switzerland and Colombia.
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Barton made headlines during the Turkey-Paraguay match for his dramatic announcement of the decision to show Miguel Almiron a red card.
That incident, which was referred to VAR, saw the official become the first to send a player off for covering their mouth with their hand.
The 35-year-old is appearing at his second World Cup, having taken charge of three matches at Qatar 2022, including England’s Round of 16 match against Senegal.
Barton will be joined on the pitch by fellow Salvadoran David Moran and Antonio Pupiro assisting from the sidelines.
Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg is fourth official, whilst reserve assistant is another Swede Mahbod Beigi.
Barton’s previous record is pretty unpredictable when it comes to showing his cards, with only three players booked during the three World Cup matches at Qatar combined.
However, during 21 Salvadoran league matches in 2025 and 2026, Barton dished out 12 red cards and a staggering 113 yellows.
However, he has been a little less trigger happy during this summer, brandishing just 10 yellows altogether in addition to Almiron’s red.