Following are the facts and figures of Argentine Horacio Elizondo, who will referee the 2006 World Cup opening match between hosts Germany and Costa Rica today.

Elizondo is the second Argentinian to referee in a FIFA World Cup's opening match after Norberto Albert Coerezza in Buenos Aires in 1978.

The 42-year-old has already refereed an opening match at a FIFA competition. On November 27, 2003, he led the opener of the U-20 World Cup in United Arab Emirates between UAE and Slovakia, which ended in 4-1 in favor of Slovakia.

As is the case in this year's opening match, one of his assistant referees for that game was Dario Garcia.

Elizondo has refereed 18 World Cup qualifying matches for four different confederations: AFC, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL and UEFA.

He has also refereed two Copa Libertadores finals. One was the first leg between San Caetano and Olimpia Asuncion in 2002, and the other was the second leg between San Paolo and Atletico Paranaense in 2005.

The 17 opening matches to date were led by 13 referees from the UEFA confederation, 2 from CONMEBOL, one from CONCACAF and one from AFC.

The previous World Cup's opener was refereed by Ali Bujsaim of UAE on May 31, 2002.

Only English, Swiss and now Argentine referees have officiated 2 opening matches: Reader in 1950 and Aston in 1962 for England, Mercet in 1934 and Scheurer in 1974 for Switzerland, and Coerezza in 1978 and Elizondo in 2006 for Argentina.