Slovenia’s Vinčić named referee for World Cup final

FIFA has appointed Slovenian referee Slavko Vinčić to take charge of Sunday's 2026 World Cup final between Argentina and Spain at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, making him the first Slovenian to officiate a World Cup final in the tournament's 96-year history.

A Historic Appointment

FIFA's Chief Refereeing Officer Pierluigi Collina announced the appointment on Wednesday, with the 46-year-old Vinčić becoming the 23rd person in history to referee a World Cup final. The Maribor-born official, who has been a FIFA-listed referee since 2010, described the moment he received the news in emotional terms.inside.fifa+1

"First of all, a shock. Then happiness. I was shaking, so it's an incredible honour to get to the World Cup final. It's something that… it's hard to describe in words," Vinčić said, according to FIFA.financialexpress

Vinčić will be joined by an all-Slovenian on-field crew, with compatriots Tomaž Klančnik and Andraž Kovačič serving as assistant referees. Adham Makhadmeh of Jordan has been named as the fourth official, with Mohammad Alkalaf, also of Jordan, as the reserve assistant referee.as+1

The Road to the Final

Vinčić began his professional refereeing career in Slovenia's PrvaLiga in 2007 and earned his FIFA badge just three years later. He previously officiated the 2024 UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium, and across 330 career matches has shown an average of 4.13 yellow cards per game.nytimes+3

The final, scheduled for Sunday, July 19, at 3:00 p.m. ET, will see defending champions Argentina face European champions Spain. Argentina advanced past England in their semifinal, while Spain overcame Belgium en route to the title match.facebook+3

Sunday's Showpiece

The match at MetLife Stadium will cap a tournament co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Both finalists are expected to have full squads available, with no suspensions carrying over from the semifinals. Vinčić will look to follow in the footsteps of Poland's Szymon Marciniak, who refereed the 2022 final in Qatar, and deliver a performance befitting the occasion he called "hard to describe in words".inside.fifa+1