The Slovenian Slavko Vincic, confirmed by FIFA as a referee for the 2026 World Cup final, is one of the most experienced in football today. However, their backgrounds with Argentina and Spain are very different, even opposite.

The grand final of the World Cup will be played this Sunday, July 19 at the New York/New Jersey Stadium.

Before the match begins, Vincic's appointment is already creating controversy among fans, especially of the Albiceleste. The reason: he has only coached one match for Argentina, which ended up losing, and with Spain he has five, all without knowing defeat.

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Slavko Vincic's only predecessor with Argentina

The 46-year-old referee led Argentina for the first and only time during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, in the memorable debut against Saudi Arabia.

That match ended with a surprising 2-1 defeat for the team led by Lionel Scaloni. During the match, Vincic sanctioned a penalty in favor of Argentina that Lionel Messi converted into a goal and disallowed two goals by Lautaro Martínez due to advanced positions, decisions supported by the VAR.

Despite that initial setback, Argentina managed to recover in the tournament and ended up winning its third world title weeks later.

Spain maintains an undefeated record with Vincic

The panorama changes completely when the history of Spain under the arbitration of the Slovenian referee is analyzed.

Vincic has directed five matches for the Spanish team, with a balance of three wins and two draws, so the “Red” never lost with him as the main referee.

The majority of these commitments corresponded to official competitions: three Euro Cup matches, one UEFA Nations League match and an international friendly against Colombia.

Their most recent precedent came at Euro 2024, when Spain defeated France 2-1 in the semifinals. After starting losing with a goal from Randal Kolo Muani, Luis de la Fuente's team reacted thanks to the scores of Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo to advance to the final, a tournament that they later won.

Although many fans find it controversial, the reality is that Slavko Vincic's choice is not surprising. In recent years he has established himself as one of the most important referees on the international scene, in addition to directing top-level finals in Europe.