Slavko Vincic
Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic has been appointed to officiate the 2026 World Cup final. The 46-year-old referee will take charge of the title-deciding match between Argentina and Spain this coming Sunday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
FIFA announced the match officials for the final on Thursday night (local US time). Vincic will be assisted on the pitch by his compatriots Tomaz Klancnik and Andraz Kovacic. Adham Makhadmeh of Jordan will serve as the fourth official, while Mohammed Alkhalaf of Qatar will be the reserve assistant referee.
Who is Vincic?
Since receiving FIFA international referee status in 2010, Vincic has officiated major European and international competitions for a decade and a half. In club football, he officiated the 2024 UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.
Vincic made his FIFA World Cup debut in Qatar in 2022. After officiating two matches then, he has already officiated three matches in the 2026 tournament. He was in charge of the Brazil vs. Morocco and Jordan vs. Algeria matches in the group stage, as well as the Mexico vs. Ecuador match in the Round of 32. In total, the Argentina-Spain final will be the sixth World Cup match of his career and his fourth in the current tournament.
Vincic in a Messi Match
So far, Vincic has officiated an Argentina match only once—against Saudi Arabia during the group stage of the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Lionel Messi’s team lost that match 2–1, ending their record-breaking 36-game unbeaten streak.
He awarded a penalty for a foul on Leandro Paredes in the seventh minute, which Messi converted into a goal. While six Saudi Arabian players received yellow cards during the match, no Argentine player was booked.
Vinčić and Spain
Vinčić has a long-standing history with Spain. It began with a friendly match against Colombia in 2017. Subsequently, he officiated the Spain-Sweden match at Euro 2020 and the Spain-Italy semi-final of the 2023 UEFA Nations League.
Vinčić also officiated two memorable matches involving Lamine Yamal. He was the referee for Spain’s 1-0 victory over Italy at Euro 2024 and their 2-1 semi-final win against France. It was during that match against France that Yamal grabbed headlines with a stunning long-range goal.
