2026 World Cup: Slavko Vinčić appointed to referee the final

Slovenian referee Slavko Vinčić will take charge of the 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina on Sunday. The appointment deeply moved the 46-year-old official, who was selected by FIFA to oversee the biggest event in world football.

FIFA has officially named Slavko Vinčić as the referee for the 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina. The experienced Slovenian referee will be supported by his compatriots Tomaz Klancnik and Andraz Kovacic as assistant referees. Jordanians Adham Makhadmeh and Mohammed Alkalaf will complete the officiating team as fourth official and reserve assistant referee, respectively.

An emotional announcement

When FIFA's chairman of the referees committee, Pierluigi Collina, announced the appointment in front of his colleagues, Slavko Vinčić couldn’t hold back his emotions. Footage shows the Slovenian with his head in his hands, on the verge of tears.

“Shock at first, then joy. I was trembling—it's an incredible honor to referee the World Cup final. It's every referee’s dream, so I’m extremely proud of myself and my team. It’s hard to put into words, but I’m very proud to represent my country at the world’s greatest sporting event. My team and I will do our very best,” said the Slovenian official.

An experienced referee

At 46, Vinčić already knows both finalists well. He oversaw Argentina’s stunning loss to Saudi Arabia (1-2) at the 2022 World Cup, as well as Spain’s victory over France (2-1) in the Euro 2024 semi-final.

During this 2026 World Cup, he has refereed three matches: Brazil–Morocco (1-1), Jordan–Algeria (1-2) in the group stage, and then Mexico–Ecuador (2-0) in the round of 16.

A controversial decision during the tournament

His performances, however, have not escaped criticism. In the Brazil vs. Morocco match, his decision not to penalize Achraf Hakimi after a dangerous challenge on Vinícius Júnior sparked plenty of reaction. Despite the severity of the incident, which occurred just before halftime, no card was shown and VAR did not intervene.

In total, Slavko Vinčić handed out seven yellow cards and one red card in the three matches he officiated at this World Cup, before receiving the most prestigious of assignments: refereeing the final between Spain and Argentina.

Nouya M'toama

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Versatile journalist specializing in sports and political news, with extensive experience across radio, print and digital media platforms.