Who is Slavko Vincic, the referee for Spain vs Argentina in the 2026 World Cup final?

Slavko Vincic will referee this weekend’s World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, after becoming the first Slovenian to be appointed to the tournament’s title game.

In a video shared by FIFA, world soccer’s governing body, an emotional Vincic was seen receiving the news of his selection for the final, which is to be played at MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Who is 2026 World Cup final ref Slavko Vincic?

Vincic is officiating at his second men’s World Cup, having refereed two group-stage games in 2022. So far this summer, he has overseen two more first-round matches - Brazil’s draw with Morocco in Group C, and Algeria’s Group J win over Jordan - plus Mexico’s last-32 victory over Ecuador.

Spain vs Argentina won’t be Vincic’s first major trophy decider. In 2024, he was handed the UEFA Champions League final, refereeing Real Madrid’s 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley. The Maribor native is one of only two Slovenians to have been assigned to European club soccer’s showpiece event, after Damir Skomina in 2019.

In addition, Vincic was the man in the middle for the 2022 final in the UEFA Europa League, as Eintracht Frankfurt beat Rangers on penalties to win the continent’s second-tier club competition.

Vincic’s experience of elite knockout play also includes a pair of big-name clashes at the men’s European Championship: Spain’s semifinal win over France in 2024, and Italy’s quarterfinal victory over Belgium in 2021.

Vincic ends red-free run

In total, Vincic has refereed six games at the Euros, making for an overall tally of 11 matches at major international tournaments. And until his latest runout in North America, he had not sent a single player off.

That streak came to an end when he dismissed Ecuador’s Piero Hincapié under the new ‘Vinícius rule’, which seeks to prevent players from concealing any potential use of abusive language. In the closing stages at the Estadio Azetca, Hincapié earned a straight red card after covering his mouth during a verbal confrontation with Mexico’s Santi Giménez.

When it comes to yellow cards, Vincic has averaged just under 3.3 per game across the World Cup and the Euros - a count that drops to 3.0 in his five matches at FIFA’s global tournament. That’s a booking rate that comes in comfortably under the final average at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which witnessed 3.55 cautions per game.

This does not mean, though, that Vincic has never been accused of being card-happy during his officiating career. In his most recent Champions League game, Bayern Munich’s thrilling quarterfinal win over Real Madrid in April, the 46-year-old attracted criticism for his decision to dismiss Los Blancos’ Eduardo Camavinga.

“You can’t leave a team with ten men for that”

Late in the second half of Bayern’s 4-3 victory, Vincic opted to show Camavinga a second yellow card, after deeming that the Frenchman had tried to prevent the Germans from taking a quick free-kick. It was a contentious, borderline call that led AS’s refereeing analyst, the former FIFA official Eduardo Iturralde González, to chastise Vincic for displaying a lack of “common sense”.

“Camavinga shouldn’t do that, but at this level you can’t book someone for something like that,” Iturralde González said, adding: “By the rules you can caution him. But this is where common sense comes in. At this level you can’t leave a team with ten men for that.”

Spain vs Argentina - the World Cup final match officials:

• Lead referee: Slavko Vincic, Slovenia
• Assistant referee 1: Tomasz Klancnik, Slovenia
• Assistant referee 2: Andraz Kovacic, Slovenia
• Fourth official: Adham Makhadmeh, Jordan
• Reserve assistant referee: Mohammad Alkalaf, Jordan

Spain vs Argentina: kickoff times, how to watch and stream in the U.S.

Held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the 2026 World Cup final kicks off on Sunday, July 19, at 3:00 p.m. ET/12 noon. PT. Viewers in the U.S. can watch Spain vs Argentina live on Fox Network, Telemundo, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, Universo, Telexitos, Fox One and fubo. You’ll also be able to follow live-text commentary of the game right here at AS USA.

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