Revealing the referee for the opening of the 2026 World Cup

Sampaio leads the first scene

Football fans around the world are awaiting the start of the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by three countries – the United States of America, Canada and Mexico – for the first time in the tournament’s history, in a unique edition that is expected to be full of excitement and competition.

The tournament will be held from June 11 to July 19 and will feature 48 teams, the largest draw in the history of the World Cup in terms of the number of participating teams.

The World Cup kicks off next Thursday at Mexico’s Azteca Stadium as the Mexican national team take on their South African counterparts in the tournament’s opening match.

FIFA has announced the appointment of Brazilian referee Wilton Sampaio to officiate the opening match between Mexico and AU.

The refereeing team assigned to manage the match was as follows.

Referee: Wilton Sampaio.

First Assistant: Bruno Pires.

Second assistant: Bruno Bocella.

Fourth Official: Juan Gabriel Benitez.

Reserve referee: Eduardo Cardoso.

Video Referee (VAR): Nicolas Guyot.

Assistant Video Referee (AVAR): Juan Lara.

Reserve Video Assistant Referee (SVAR): Jerome Pisard.

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