The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off on June 11, with co-host Mexico taking on South Africa at the iconic Azteca Stadium, officially known as Mexico City Stadium.
The 23rd edition of the World Cup has a record number of 48 teams and 104 matches, played at 16 locations and three countries.
Mexico, which has hosted the tournament twice before, reached the quarter-finals both times – a stage it hopes to improve on this time as co-host. Meanwhile, South Africa, the 2010 hosts, will be looking for their first victory in the tournament.
Who will be the referee in Mexico vs South Africa at the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
Brazil’s Wilton Sampaio will referee the Mexico-South Africa match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Sampaio made his debut in the professional refereeing world in 2009 and became one of Brazil’s most respected referees. In 2013 he earned his FIFA badge and regularly participated in FIFA tournaments and at the Brazilian top level.
He was a referee at the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana.
Sampaio doesn’t mind booking players if the game flow is frequently interrupted. In the 2021 Copa Libertadores, in which he officiated three matches, he produced fourteen yellow cards and one red card.
During the FIFA World Cups, he was part of the video assistant referee (VAR) team for the first time during the 2018 edition in Russia. In Qatar 2022, he officiated four matches, including a round of 16 between the Netherlands and the United States of America, and the quarter-final between France and England.
Referee Wilton Sampaio in action in a Copa America 2024 Group A match between Peru and Chile at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. | Photo credit: Getty Images via AFP
Referee Wilton Sampaio in action in a Copa America 2024 Group A match between Peru and Chile at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. | Photo credit: Getty Images via AFP
He received significant criticism from the British media for questionable calls in the quarter-final, where the call for a penalty in England’s first half and a foul on Bukayo Saka was not given by the Brazilian.
“I can’t really explain his performance, the number of decisions he got wrong was actually unbelievable. Really bad,” Harry Maguire told ITV after the match, while former England and Manchester United full-back Garry Neville said: “I thought the referee was having a nightmare, he was an absolute joke referee, bad in the rankings.
Full list of match officials for Mexico vs South Africa:
- Referee: Wilton Sampaio (Brazil)
- Assistant referees: Bruno Boschilia (Brazil) and Bruno Pires (Brazil)
- Fourth official: Juan Gabriel Benitez (Paraguay)
- US: Nicolas Gallo (Colombia)
Published on June 11, 2026
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