June 8, 2026 at – 19:38
The great celebration of world football is ready to start its engines and the FIFA appointments left great news for our country’s refereeing ahead of the opening duel of the 2026 World Cup.
Juan Gabriel Benítez will be the fourth official and Eduardo Cardozo the fifth in the opening match between Mexico and South Africa. The Brazilian Wilton Sampaio will be the main referee of the match that will be this Thursday at the Azteca Stadium.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is about to raise the curtain at the iconic and historic Estadio Azteca (officially renamed for the tournament as Estadio Ciudad de México). The opening match of Group A, which will pit host Mexico against South Africa this Thursday, June 11already knows those in charge of enforcing the regulation, among them two Paraguayans, in a setting that will be packed with more than 80,000 souls.
Sampaio and the Brazilian shortlist for the playing field
The highest body in world football appointed the Brazilian Wilton Sampaio as the central referee and main event of this inaugural meeting. Sampaio, a referee with enormous experience in the South American Qualifiers, Copa América and with experience in the World Cup in Qatar, will have the enormous responsibility of pulling the strings and the pressure that the opening matches always exert.
On the bands, the head judge will be accompanied by a purely Brazilian shortlist, composed of Bruno Pires (Assistant 1) and Bruno Boschilia (Assistant 2). The great advantage of this choice is the mutual knowledge and years of teamwork that they accumulate in the demanding Brasileirão and in the CONMEBOL competitions.
In order to avoid early controversies in the tournament, the video referee booth will have a highly qualified multicultural team. The Colombian Nicolás Gallo will lead the operations as the person in charge of the VARreviewing every millimeter of the dubious plays that occur in the colossus of Santa Úrsula. Supporting him in the technological cabin will be the Chilean Juan Lara (AVAR) and the experienced French referee Jerome Brisard (SVAR).
Those in charge of dispensing justice in the opening match:
- Main referee: Wilton Sampaio (Brazil)
- Assistant 1: Bruno Pires (Brazil)
- Assistant 2: Bruno Boschilia (Brazil)
- Fourth referee: Juan Gabriel Benitez (Paraguay)
- Fifth referee: Eduardo Cardozo (Paraguay)
- VAR: Nicolás Gallo (Colombia)
- AVAR: Juan Lara (Chile)
- SVAR: Jerome Brisard (France)
