Slavko Vinčić appointed referee for Argentina-Spain World Cup 2026 final

Slavko Vinčić Appointed Referee for Argentina-Spain World Cup 2026 Final

FIFA announced in the early hours of Friday, July 17, 2026, that Slovenian official Slavko Vinčić will referee the FIFA World Cup 2026 final between Argentina and Spain. The match is scheduled for Sunday, July 19, at New York New Jersey Stadium.

The appointment makes the 46-year-old from Maribor the first Slovenian to officiate a World Cup final. He becomes only the 23rd person in history to hold this distinction. Vinčić was informed of the selection by Pierluigi Collina, FIFA Chief Refereeing Officer and Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee.

The announcement triggered an emotional reaction from Vinčić, who was captured in a video shared by FIFA breaking down in tears. After receiving his referee kit, Vinčić described the news as a shock followed by happiness, adding that he was shaking.

"It’s an incredible honour to get the (FIFA) World Cup final,"

Slavko Vinčić, Referee, via inside.fifa.com

Pierluigi Collina stated that the decision was based on a long process of evaluation throughout the competition, noting that performances on the pitch were the primary factor. Collina added that the fact that Vinčić's own team is not playing in the competition was also a consideration.

A History of High-Stakes Matches

Vinčić arrives at the final with extensive experience in major finals. He officiated the 2022 UEFA Europa League final between Rangers and Eintracht Frankfurt and the 2024 UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.

In the current 2026 tournament, Vinčić has officiated three matches: Brazil v. Morocco, Jordan v. Algeria in the group stage, and Mexico v. Ecuador in the round of 32. During the Mexico-Ecuador clash, he issued a red card to Ecuador's Piero Hincapie for covering his mouth while confronting Mexico striker Santiago Gimenez, a move cited as a violation of FIFA's code of conduct.

The "Bogeyman" and La Roja

While Vinčić has frequently handled Spain's biggest fixtures—including a 2017 friendly against Colombia, a Euro 2020 match against Sweden, and a 2023 Nations League semi-final against Italy—his history with Argentina is more fraught. He is described as Argentina's "ultimate bogeyman" due to their opening fixture of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

On November 22, 2022, at Lusail Stadium, Vinčić refereed Argentina's match against Saudi Arabia. Although he awarded Argentina a penalty in the 8th minute and issued six yellow cards to Saudi Arabian players, Argentina ultimately suffered a shocking 2-1 defeat. This remains the only time Argentina has lost a match while Vinčić was the referee.

More recently, Vinčić has been the official for two of Lamine Yamal's significant international games during Euro 2024: the 1-0 win over Italy and the 2-1 semi-final victory against France.

The Officiating Team

Vinčić will be supported by a crew he described as a product of years of teamwork. His assistant referees will be fellow Slovenians Tomaž Klančnik and Andraž Kovačič. The fourth official will be Jordanian Adham Makhadmeh, with Mohammad Al-Kalaf serving as the reserve assistant referee.

The VAR team for Sunday's final will consist of German official Bastian Dankert as VAR, Colombian Nicolás Gallo as assistant VAR, and Qatari official Khamis Al Marri on support.

Vinčić stated that his preparation will not change, noting that he and his team will continue to analyze the two finalists, whom they have followed for more than 40 days. His stated goal is to ensure the officiating does not become a topic of conversation after the match.

Other Appointments

FIFA also confirmed the officials for the third-place playoff between France and England at Miami Stadium on Saturday. Venezuelan Jesús Valenzuela will referee, assisted by Jorge Urrego and Tulio Moreno. Moroccan Jalal Jayed will serve as fourth official, with Zakaria Brinsi as reserve assistant. The VAR duties will be handled by Uruguay's Leodan González, supported by American Armando Villarreal and Spaniard Carlos Del Cerro Grande.