One World Cup referee will be hoping for a quieter time of things when the 2026 tournament kicks off
Wilton Sampaio is the man in charge of the opening game of the World Cup between Mexico and South Africa – four years on from his divisive performance in Qatar. The Brazilian match official has refereed over 250 games across domestic and international competitions, including England’s 2022 quarter-final loss to France.
This match drew major criticism from the English players and fans alike, despite Sampaio awarding two penalties in the Three Lions’ favour. Observers believed the ref had missed multiple incidents throughout the game, including fouls on Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane that would’ve ruled out France’s opener.
Sampaio did not award a free-kick in either instance at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, although he did point to the spot in the second half after Saka was fouled in the box.
Minutes after Olivier Giroud restored France’s lead, the referee awarded another penalty in England’s favour.
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The second spot-kick was only awarded, however, after Sampaio consulted the VAR monitor pitchside to see the foul on Mason Mount. Kane fired his strike over the bar, and England were out of the World Cup in the quarter-finals – but some players felt hard done by thanks to the match official.
Speaking post-match, veteran defender Harry Maguire was open about his issues with Sampaio’s performance. He said: “Really poor, very poor. From minute one: five, six fouls in the first 15 minutes, not one yellow card.
“For me, it’s a foul for the first goal, on Bukayo. I can’t really go into explaining how bad [Sampaio’s] performance really was. I don’t want to go into too much, because I’ll end up getting fined, but it was really, really poor.”
Maguire wasn’t the only one who had qualms with the Sampaio. Gary Neville, working for ITV, also stuck the boot in. He said: “The referee, I thought he had an absolute nightmare,” Neville said on ITV. “An absolute joke of a referee.
“I am not saying that was all down to England’s defeat, people will say that’s excuses, but he was just a bad referee. Rank, bad.”
Despite that performance gaining widespread criticism – from England fans, at least – Sampaio has been awarded the opening match at this year’s World Cup. The Brazilian will be joined by fellow countrymen Bruno Pires and Bruno Boschilia as assistant referees, with Paraguayan Juan Gabriel Benítez serving as the fourth official.
The VAR will be led by Colombian official Nicolas Gallo, with Frenchman Jerome Brisard and Chilean Juan Lara as support in the video room.
Mexico vs South Africa will kick off on Thursday, June 11 at 8pm to kick off the major tournament. This will follow an opening ceremony featuring Shakira and Burna Boy, alongside a host of other music artists.
Upgrade your World Cup TV setup with the Sky Glass ‘designed for football’

Sky is knocking 20% off its entire range of Glass TVs to mark the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Until June 17, shoppers can upgrade to the Sky smart TV that’s ‘designed for football’ from £4.50 per month when taken alongside a Sky TV and Netflix package.

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