FIFA appointed Wilton Pereira Sampaio, from Goiás, to lead the refereeing in the opening match of the World Cup, which will feature a clash between Mexico and South Africa next Thursday, at 4pm (Brasília time). The duel valid for Group A will take place in Mexico City, marking the second consecutive participation of the Brazilian judge in World Cups after his performance in Qatar in 2022.
The field trio will be entirely Brazilian, as the assistants scheduled for the clash are Bruno Pires (GO) and Bruno Boschilia (PR).
The refereeing team will also have the support of Paraguayans Juan Gabriel Benítez as fourth referee and Eduardo Cardozo as reserve assistant, in addition to Colombian Nicolas Gallo as video referee, Chilean Juan Lara as VAR assistant and Frenchman Jerome Brisard supporting VAR.
The country has two other main referees at the World Cup: Raphael Claus (SP) and Ramon Abatti Abel (SC). The other assistants representing the national federation are Danilo Manis (SP), Rodrigo Figueiredo (RJ) and Rafael Alves (RS).
In addition to the teams from Mexico and South Africa, Group A of the World Cup also includes the presence of South Korea and the Czech Republic.
