Wilton Pereira Sampaio will referee the opening game of the World Cup; see more

FIFA chose Brazilian referee Wilton Pereira Sampaio to referee the opening game of the World Cup, which takes place this Thursday, between Mexico and South Africa.

The referee of the Goiás federation will have Bruno Pires and Bruno Boschilia at his side as assistants. The fourth referee will be Juan Benitez, from Paraguay and the var Juan Lara, from Chile.

The match officials for @FIFAWorldCup matches 1, 2, 3 and 4 have been appointed.

- FIFA (@FIFAcom) June 8, 2026

This is Wilton Pereira Sampaio's third World Cup, after doing VAR in 2018 and making his debut on the field in Qatar in 2022.

Raphael Claus and Ramon Abatti Abel are the other Brazilian referees who will be at the World Cup.

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Source: CNN