AUSTIN, Texas - Texas has quietly become a pipeline for some of the world's 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.

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's biggest stages, including the men's and women's World Cups.

What we know: Ismail Elfath is a Moroccan-born referee who immigrated to the United States as a teenager.