FIFA have appointed Brazilian referee Wilton Pereira Sampaio to handle the 2026 World Cup opener between co-hosts Mexico and Bafana Bafana at Azteca Stadium on Thursday.
Bafana walk into the iconic stadium hoping not to melt in this 87,500 seater before a hostile home crowd rooting for El Tri. It is a match Hugo Broos’ side would want a positive result and hand themselves better chances of progressing past Group A into the knockout rounds.
The man assigned to officiate Thursday’s game as the centre referee is Sampaio, who has been on the FIFA panel since 2013. The 44-year-old was at the 2018 World Cup in Russia as part of VAR and also took charge of matches at the 2022 edition in Qatar.
When he handles the Mexico-Bafana match, he will be assisted by fellow Brazilians Bruno Pires and Bruno Boschilia. The officiating line-up also includes Paraguayan Juan Gabrial Benitez as the fourth official, while his compatriot Eduardo Cardozo will be the reserve assistant referee.
Colombian Nicolas Gallo will be in charge of VAR, assisted by Juan Lara from Chile, as Frenchman Jerome Brisard will be the support VAR.
WILTON PEREIRA SAMPAIO CONTROVERSY AND THE WIKIPEDIA DRAMA
Sampaio officiated four matches at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He handled the group-stage matches between Senegal and the Netherlands, as well as between Poland and Saudi Arabia.
He was also in charge of another game involving the Netherlands, but this time against the USA in the Round of 16. The quarter-final clash between England and France was his final game of that tournament edition.
But he rose to infamy during the England match, which the Three Lions lost 2-1. A few seconds before France’s opening goal, Dayot Upamecano fouled Bukayo Saka, but Sampaio let the goal scored by Aurelien Tchouameni stand just after that incident, despite consulting VAR.
Upamecano was back again to foul Harry Kane just inside the box, but no penalty was awarded even after another VAR check. Frustrated England players confronted him at the final whistle.
Some angry England fans went on to edit the referee’s Wikipedia profile, mentioning him as “a France fan.” Pranksters also changed his Wikipedia information by including sexist remarks. He became a subject of social media trolls.
RELATED STORY: Broos admits Bafana still ‘have to do more’ as World Cup opener looms after draw with Jamaica