Ivan Barton appointed referee for Al Ahly v Pyramids Egyptian Premier League clash

International referee Ivan Barton has been selected to officiate the Egyptian Premier League meeting between Al Ahly and Pyramids on 23 November 2026.

The Salvadoran referee was appointed by the Egyptian Football Association’s main referees’ committee, chaired by Essam Abdel Fattah, for the ninth-round fixture between the league’s top two sides.

Pyramids lead the table with 24 points, while Al Ahly are second on 20. Victory for Al Ahly would reduce the gap to one point, whereas Pyramids can strengthen their position at the summit by extending their advantage.

Barton, who has held FIFA international status since 2018, has officiated at a series of major tournaments involving both national teams and clubs.

He was part of the refereeing team at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where he took charge of three matches. Those fixtures included Japan v Germany, Brazil v Switzerland and England v Senegal in the last 16.

The Salvadoran has also worked at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the CONCACAF Champions Cup and the FIFA U-17 World Cup. His experience includes the football tournament at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Barton was given four matches to referee at the 2026 World Cup, including the semi-final between France and Spain. The assignment was described by CONCACAF as a landmark moment for Central American refereeing.

According to CONCACAF, Barton became the first referee from Central America to take charge of a World Cup semi-final. He was also the youngest referee from the CONCACAF region to officiate a match at that stage in the competition’s history.

He was 35 years, five months and 17 days old when he reached the milestone, CONCACAF said. His team for the semi-final included fellow Salvadoran David Moran and Nicaraguan assistant referee Antonio Bopiero.

The appointment demonstrated the international confidence placed in Barton, who had been entrusted with one of the most significant matches in world football outside the CONCACAF region.

He now faces another demanding assignment in Egypt, with the Al Ahly-Pyramids fixture carrying major importance because of the teams’ positions in the Egyptian Premier League standings.