Sampaio handed World Cup opener despite England's bitter memories of Qatar nightmare

Wilton Sampaio will take charge of the World Cup 2026 opening match between Mexico and South Africa on June 11 — four years after his handling of England’s quarter-final exit against France at Qatar 2022 left players and pundits furious.

The Brazilian official, who has refereed more than 250 games across domestic and international football, was at the centre of a storm after England’s 2-1 loss at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor. Despite awarding two penalties to the Three Lions, Sampaio was widely criticised for failing to act on what many observers considered fouls on Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane in the build-up to France’s opening goal.

Harry Maguire was blunt in his post-match assessment. “Really poor, very poor,” the defender said. “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.”

Gary Neville, working as a pundit at the tournament, was equally scathing. “The referee, I thought he had an absolute nightmare,” Neville said. “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.”

England’s frustration was compounded when Kane blazed a second-half penalty over the bar after Sampaio, having initially waved play on, consulted the pitchside VAR monitor and reversed his decision following a foul on Mason Mount. France progressed; England went home.

Nonetheless, FIFA has entrusted Sampaio with the most high-profile appointment of the 2026 tournament. He will be assisted by fellow Brazilians Bruno Pires and Bruno Boschilia, with Paraguayan Juan Gabriel Benítez as fourth official. Colombian Nicolas Gallo will lead the VAR operation, supported by France’s Jerome Brisard and Chile’s Juan Lara.

The Mexico vs South Africa fixture kicks off the tournament on June 11 at 8pm, following an opening ceremony that includes performances from Shakira and Burna Boy.