Ismail Elfath was taking his children to the park near his home in Texas when a message arrived.
“Congratulations,” it read. Elfath hugged his wife.
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Fifa had selected him for his second World Cup. Relief and pride swept over him.
“Going to a World Cup is the dream of every referee, but going to a second one means you have stayed consistent for eight years plus,” said Elfath.
For referees, the World Cup is the pinnacle. The tournament comes around only every four years, and only a tiny number make the cut.
“First you have to be the best in your own country, and even then you might not be selected,” said Urs Meier, a former Swiss referee.
From a few countries, Fifa may take two referees, but elsewhere even the finest officials miss out.
Uefa selected Germany’s Daniel Siebert to referee the Champions League final on 30 May, yet Fifa overlooked him for the World Cup, taking his compatriot Felix Zwayer instead.
The Selection Gauntlet
Between World Cups, Fifa instructors draw up a list of candidate referees and monitor them closely.
At Fifa matches, former referees file reports from the stands; in other games, instructors watch remotely.
After watching the Premier League referee Anthony Taylor in a European match, Pierluigi Collina, Fifa’s refereeing chief, texted Taylor to encourage him to improve his movement.
Kathryn Nesbitt, the first woman to officiate a men’s World Cup knockout match, recalled Fifa instructors asking about decisions she had made months earlier in Major League Soccer.
