Wilton Sampaio, referee of the opening match of the 2026 World Cup between Mexico and South Africa

Wilton Sampaio, 44 years old, will referee the opening match of the 2026 World Cup between Mexico and South Africa at the Azteca Stadium, corresponding to Group A. He will be assisted by Bruno Pires and Bruno Boschilia on the sidelines, with Juan Gabriel Benítez as the fourth official. In addition, the VAR team will include Nicolás Gallo, Juan Lara, and Jerome Brisard.

Referees who 'opened' the World Cup

Wilton Sampaio follows Daniele Orsato as the referee for the opening match, who officiated the Qatar 2022 match between the host nation and Ecuador. In Russia 2018, Néstor Pitana refereed the match between the host team and Saudi Arabia. On the other hand, the South Korea-Czech Republic match will be officiated by Amin Mohamed, with Juan Calderón and Juan Carlos Mora as the fourth official and assistant referee reserve.

Upcoming Refereeing Assignments

Facundo Tello will officiate the Canada-Bosnia and Herzegovina match in Toronto, with Khalid Alturais and Mohammed Alabakry as the fourth official and reserve. In the VAR booth, Hernán Mastrangelo and Antonio García will be supported by Tatiana Guzmán. Danny Makkelie will be the referee for the United States-Paraguay match in Los Angeles, with Yusuke Mihara as the fourth official and Jun Mihara as the reserve. Carlos del Cerro Grande will lead the VAR team alongside Dennis Higler and Khamis Almarri.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Wilton Sampaio, árbitro del partido inaugural del Mundial 2026 entre México y Sudáfrica