FIFA has entrusted Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic with the biggest appointment of his career, confirming he will officiate Sunday’s 2026 World Cup final between defending champions Argentina and Spain at the New Jersey Stadium in New York.The 46-year-old has spent nearly two decades climbing the ranks of European football and is now the man overseeing one of the most anticipated World Cup finals in recent history. He will be assisted by fellow Slovenians Tomaž Klančnik and Andraž Kovačič, while Jordan’s Adham Makhadmeh has been appointed as fourth official and Mohammad Alkalaf as reserve assistant referee.For Vincic, the appointment represents the culmination of a career that has grown steadily in domestic, European and international football.
From Slovenia to football’s biggest stage
Vincic was born in Maribor, Slovenia in 1979. He began working as a professional referee in his home country’s top league in 2007 and received the FIFA international badge in 2010.His performances soon propelled him into the elite ranks of UEFA officials, leading to regular appointments in the Champions League and Europa League.He has officiated at some of European football’s biggest occasions over the past decade, including the 2022 Europa League final between Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers, and the 2024 UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.As well as his club duties, Vincic has become a regular at international events, refereeing Euro 2020, Euro 2024, Qatar 2022 World Cup and now the 2026 World Cup, where his performances have earned him a showcase at the tournament.according to transfer marketVincic has refereed more than 500 senior professional matches during his career, showing 2,093 yellow cards, 113 red cards and awarding 117 penalties.
World Cup journey reaches peak
Sunday’s final will be Vincic’s eighth game in the past two World Cups.He made his debut at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and then made four more appearances during the 2026 World Cup. These performances convinced the FIFA refereeing department to hand him the final between Spain and Argentina.Earlier in the World Cup, Vincic officiated Brazil’s group-stage draw with Morocco, Algeria’s victory over Jordan and Mexico’s round-of-32 victory over Ecuador.
Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic talks to Ecuadorian player Piero Hincapie (3) during the World Cup round of 32 football match on Tuesday, June 30, 2026 in Mexico City. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
The knockout game attracted special attention because Vincic covered his mouth while talking to Mexican forward Santiago Jimenez and sent off Ecuadorian defender Piero Hincapie after a VAR review, the first red card of his international career after watching ten World Cup and European Championship games without sending off a player.
His record with Argentina
Despite Argentina’s regular presence in major tournaments, Vincic has only officiated once before for Lionel Scaloni’s side.The lone encounter was one of the most memorable games of the 2022 World Cup, with Argentina suffering a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Saudi Arabia in their opening group game.After Paredes committed a foul in the penalty area, Slovenian officials awarded Argentina a penalty early, allowing Messi to score on the spot, and then showed the Saudi Arabian player six yellow cards.Although Argentina suffered one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history that afternoon, they recovered to win six games in a row and lift the trophy in Qatar.Sunday’s final will therefore be only the second Argentina game in Vincic’s international refereeing career.
Spain maintains unbeaten record under Vincic
In comparison, Spain’s encounters with Vincic are much more frequent, but it is worth noting that all of these encounters have occurred in UEFA competitions, as the Slovenian referee has never officiated a Spanish team in a FIFA World Cup game before his final appointment in 2026.Prior to the final, he had coached four games involving Spain, who were unbeaten in each of those matches.
Before Ramin Yamar came along
Vincic’s early involvement in Spain preceded the rise of Lamine Yamal at the top international level.His first game for Spain came in a friendly against Colombia in 2017, which ended in a 2-2 draw, and he then officiated in Spain’s goalless draw with Sweden in the Euro 2020 group stage. He was subsequently named for La Roja’s 2023 UEFA Nations League semi-final against Italy, which Spain won 2-1, further underlining his involvement in Europe’s major competitions.Vincic also officiated Spain during the rise of Lamine Yamar, including two decisive games that helped Spain win Euro 2024.These included Spain’s 1-0 win over Italy in the group stage and a memorable 2-1 semi-final win over France, in which Yamal scored a stunning long-range equalizer before Spain completed another comeback on their way to the European Championship.In both stages before and after Yamal’s breakthrough, the Spanish team, led by Vincic, maintained a perfect record and remained unbeaten in four games.The contrast adds an interesting subplot to the final, with Spain yet to lose at his whistle and Argentina’s only previous encounter with Slovenian officials ending in failure.
Careers continue after police investigation in 2020
Away from football, Vincic briefly made international headlines in 2020 after he was detained during a police raid on alleged prostitution and organized crime activity in Bosnia and Herzegovina.Slovenian authorities and Vincic have always maintained that he was attending a business meeting and was not involved in any criminal activity. He was released without charges, no charges were filed against him, and he was back on the bench soon after.His subsequent appointment to the UEFA Champions League final, Euros, World Cup and now the 2026 World Cup final underlines the continued confidence UEFA and FIFA have placed in him since that incident.Come Sunday, however, that history no longer matters once the whistle blows. Vincic will oversee a second World Cup final between defending champions Argentina and newly crowned European champions Spain, with football’s biggest prize and a place in history awaiting the winner.
