Argentine referee Nestor Pitana has been appointed as the match referee for the opening World Cup game between hosts Russia and Saudi Arabia.

The two Group A teams meet at the Luzhniki Stadium in Russia on Thursday, June 14 in what is the curtain raiser for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The announcement was made earlier on Tuesday by world football’s governing body, FIFA.

Nestor Pitana, 42, is a former actor and he has adequate refereeing experience having handled games at tournaments like the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil and the 2015 COPA America.

Egypt and Uruguay are the other teams in Group A.