Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic will officiate the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina on Sunday, FIFA announced Thursday. He will be assisted by compatriots Tomaz Klancnik and Andraz Kovacic, with Jordan’s Adham Makhadmeh named as fourth official. FIFA posted a video of an emotional Vincic learning of his appointment; Vincic said he was “shaking” and called it “an incredible honour” to get the World Cup final, adding that he was “very proud to represent my country, Slovenia” and that his team “will do our best.”
Vincic has refereed in Slovenia’s top flight and has been FIFA‑listed since 2010. In European club competition he has taken charge of 72 Champions League and Europa League matches, including knockout fixtures and finals. His biggest recent appointments include the 2022 Europa League final between Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers and the 2024 Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. He has also officiated at two European Championships and two World Cups.
At this World Cup Vincic has refereed five matches, averaging about three yellow cards per game. That rate is described in the announcement as under the final average of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar but over the 2026 edition. He handled two group games in the tournament — Brazil vs. Morocco and Jordan vs. Algeria — and showed his first red card in major international tournament fixtures when he dismissed Ecuador’s Piero Hincapié in the round‑of‑32 loss to Mexico. Vincic did not see the incident on the pitch but issued the red after the video assistant referee advised him to view the play on the pitchside monitor; Hincapié had been hiding his mouth when speaking to Santiago Giménez.
Vincic’s recent record includes disciplinary action in other events, with red cards shown in both of his Club World Cup matches last summer. He drew criticism from Real Madrid after officiating the Champions League quarterfinal at Bayern Munich in April, when substitute Eduardo Camavinga received a second yellow and was sent off in the 86th minute; teammates including Jude Bellingham and former Madrid player Álvaro Arbeloa publicly questioned the decision. Conversely, then‑Fenerbahçe manager José Mourinho praised Vincic after he officiated the 2025 Galatasaray–Fenerbahçe match, calling it “a top performance.”
Vincic has refereed four Spain games previously, with Spain unbeaten in those fixtures, and his only prior match involving Argentina was the nation’s shock 3-2 opening loss to Saudi Arabia. FIFA’s appointment completes the officiating team for Sunday’s final as Vincic prepares to represent Slovenia on the sport’s biggest stage.
