FIFA confirmed the referee for the highly anticipated World Cup final between Argentina and Spain. Headed by Slavko Vincic, who said it was a dream come true for him. The refereeing team has three Slovenians in total, with the fourth official hailing from Jordan. Vincic is no stranger to big occasions, as he ignored the VAR’s call in a high-profile game and showed his willingness to leave his mark on it.
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Slavko Vincic became the 23rd referee to work on a World Cup final and was the first Slovenian to do so. FIFA released a video of Vincic finding out the news while confirming the referee lineup ahead of the final on Sunday.
“So, first of all, a shock. Then happiness. I was shaking, so it’s an incredible honour to get the World Cup final,” Vincic said. “It’s only a dream for a referee, for a young referee when they start. So, I’m very proud, very proud of myself and my team.”
Vincic will be joined by Tomaz Klancik and Andraz Kovacic on the sidelines. Jordan’s Adham Makhadmeh will act as the fourth official.
Having been a FIFA-listed international referee since 2010, Vincic received the honor of officiating the World Cup final after working on three games earlier. He awarded a red card to Piero Hincapié for covering his own mouth during a confrontation against Mexico.
He has a history of working on major finals, including the Europa League final and the Champions League final.
He also has a history of controversies. Most notably, he chose to allow the goal scored by Florian Wirtz during the UEFA Nations League semi-final between Germany and Portugal. VAR flagged the goal and asked Vincic to head to the pitch-side monitor to rule it out for offside. But unlike the referees who overturn their call, Vincic stood his ground and let the goal stand.
It led to multiple controversies, and Vincic’s showing in the Champions League quarterfinal between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid further made things complicated. His choice to send off Eduardo Camavinga by showing him two yellow cards for just two fouls drew criticism from Jude Bellingham, who called the referee a “joke.”
Ahead of the World Cup final, Slavko Vincic refereed four games involving Spain, and La Roja never lost a game when he worked on it. Argentina, meanwhile, has lost the only game that Vincic refereed. The infamous 2-1 loss against Saudi Arabia at the 2022 World Cup was under his supervision. But the defending champions went on an incredible run to lift the title.
In 2026, as Slavko Vincic gets ready to referee the biggest game of his career, both teams will be eyeing a piece of history.
