The 2026 FIFA World Cup will begin in grand fashion with Mexico taking on South Africa in the opening match of the tournament. The encounter will be staged at the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, marking the beginning of Group A and what promises to be an exciting summer of football across North America.

FIFA has now confirmed that Brazilian referee Wilton Sampaio will officiate this highly anticipated clash. His appointment continues FIFA’s trend of assigning officials with vast international and domestic experience to major tournament fixtures.

Sampaio, hailing from Brazil, has overseen more than 250 matches across club and international levels. He previously took charge of England’s 2-1 defeat to France during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The experienced official also played a key role in FIFA’s first Video Assistant Referee (VAR) team introduced at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

However, Sampaio’s performance in England’s 2022 quarter-final loss attracted criticism for several contentious decisions that some felt influenced the result. England players and fans expressed frustration over a series of fouls that went unpunished against the French side.

It was argued that he overlooked a number of infringements on players such as Bukayo Saka and Mason Mount, along with a controversial penalty appeal involving Harry Kane. England defender Harry Maguire voiced his disapproval following the match, telling BBC Sport: “I think the referee’s decision-making throughout the game was really poor. We always stand here and as players we get criticised. So it would be nice to see if he comes out and says whether he’s had a good game or not. Because there were so many decisions in that first half where they made five, six early fouls. I think H [Harry Kane] was outside the box but it was a clear foul. He didn’t in the second half, Bukayo’s is a clear foul leading up to their first goal. Big moments, big decisions, you expect to get some right but unfortunately tonight we didn’t get any.”

For the World Cup opener in Mexico City, Sampaio will be assisted by fellow Brazilians Bruno Pires and Bruno Boschilia as his assistant referees. Juan Gabriel Benítez from Paraguay will act as the fourth official for the fixture.

In case Sampaio, who is 44 years old, is unable to complete the match for any reason, another Paraguayan official, Eduardo Cardozo, has been designated as the reserve referee.