Inaugural Referee

The 44-year-old Brazilian Wilton Sampaio was appointed by FIFA to officiate the opening match of the 2026 World Cup between Mexico and South Africa, which will take place on June 11 at the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, corresponding to Group A.

The refereeing team

Sampaio will be accompanied by a trusted officiating team, with assistants Bruno Pires and Bruno Boschilia, also Brazilians, while Paraguayan Juan Gabriel Benítez will serve as the fourth official. The role of reserve referee will fall to Eduardo Cardozo, also from Paraguay.

Technology will play a central role in this World Cup debut. The VAR will be led by the Colombian Nicolás Gallo, with the Chilean Juan Lara and the Frenchman Jerome Brisard as support. The presence of referees from different confederations aims to ensure impartiality and experience in a match of maximum visibility.

Previous opening referees

The appointment of Sampaio marks the continuation of a tradition in which FIFA relies on referees with international experience to open the tournament. In previous editions, the Italian Daniele Orsato was in charge of officiating the debut of Qatar 2022 (Qatar vs. Ecuador), while the Argentine Néstor Pitana officiated the inaugural match of Russia 2018 (Russia vs. Saudi Arabia).

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