Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic has been appointed to officiate the 2026 FIFA World Cup final. The 46-year-old will take charge of Sunday’s (Bangladesh time Monday) title decider between Argentina and Spain at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
FIFA announced the match officials on Thursday night (US time). Vincic will be assisted by fellow Slovenians Tomaz Klancnik and Andraz Kovacic. Adham Makhadmeh of Jordan will serve as the fourth official, while Mohammed Al-Kalaf of Qatar has been named reserve assistant referee.
Who is Vincic?
Since becoming a FIFA-listed international referee in 2010, Vincic has spent the past 15 years officiating major European and international competitions. At club level, he refereed the 2024 UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.
Vincic made his FIFA World Cup debut in Qatar 2022, where he officiated two matches. At the 2026 World Cup, he has already taken charge of three games: Brazil vs Morocco, Jordan vs Algeria in the group stage, and Mexico vs Ecuador in the round of 32. The Argentina-Spain final will be the sixth World Cup match of his career and his fourth at this tournament.
Vincic and Messi
Vincic has officiated an Argentina match only once before. It came in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup against Saudi Arabia, where Lionel Messi's side suffered a 2-1 defeat, ending their 36-match unbeaten run.
In that match, Vinci awarded Argentina a penalty in the seventh minute after Leandro Paredes was fouled, with Messi converting from the spot. Six Saudi Arabian players received yellow cards, while no Argentine player was booked.
Vincic and Spain
Vincic’s association with Spain goes back several years. He first officiated the team’s friendly against Colombia in 2017. He later took charge of Spain vs Sweden at Euro 2020 and Spain vs Italy in the 2023 UEFA Nations League semi-final.
He has also overseen two memorable matches involving Lamine Yamal. Vincic refereed Spain’s 1-0 victory over Italy at Euro 2024, as well as their 2-1 semi-final win over France, where Yamal grabbed the headlines with a stunning long-range goal.