Wilton Pereira Sampaio will referee Fluminense x Vasco on Wednesday, August 5, when the two meet at Maracanã in the second leg of the Copa do Brasil round of 16. The match is set for 21:30 Brasília time, placing one of Brazil’s most watched club rivalries under the whistle of a referee with a long list of high-level assignments.
The appointment is the kind that draws attention because it joins a classic knockout tie with an official who has lived through nearly every pressure point the sport can offer. Sampaio, 44, entered refereeing at 15 at the Escola de Arbitragem da Federação de Futebol do Distrito Federal and joined the Fifa panel in 2013, a path that has made him one of the most seasoned names on the list for a night like this.
His record explains the trust. Sampaio has handled the Copa do Brasil finals in 2012, 2019 and 2022, won the award for best referee in the Campeonato Brasileiro de 2012 at the Prêmio Craque do Brasileirão, and has also worked in Libertadores, Sul-Americana, Copa América, Mundial de Clubes and Eliminatórias da Copa do Mundo. At the World Cup level, he officiated four matches in 2022, including England versus France in the quarterfinals, and later took charge of Mexico versus África do Sul at the Estádio Azteca in 2026.
That résumé makes the assignment feel routine on paper, but the context is sharper than that. A second leg in a Copa do Brasil round of 16 tie leaves little room for error, and the CBF has again put one of its most experienced referees at the center of the game. Bruno Boschilia will again work with Sampaio as an assistant, continuing a pairing that also operated together at the World Cup this year.
What remains unsaid is why this classic needed that level of protection in the first place. The answer may only become clear once the match starts, but the officials chosen for Wednesday leave no doubt about the standard expected when Fluminense x Vasco arrives at Maracanã.
