The 46-year-old Slovenian referee Slavko Vinčić will be in charge of officiating the final of the 2026 World Cup, which will be played between Spain and Argentina this Sunday in New Jersey. The news was announced by the head of FIFA Refereeing, Pierluigi Colina, in a moment that went viral on social networks.

Upon hearing his name, Vinčić covered his face with his hands and burst into tears while his teammates applauded him.

The experienced Slovenian referee born in Maribor, near the border with Austria, said that the opportunity to referee the final of a World Cup is an “incredible honour”.

"It's something that's just a dream for a referee, for a young referee when he starts. So I'm very proud, very proud of myself, of my team," he said.

Vinčić is the first Slovenian to carry that responsibility. “I am very proud to represent my country in the largest sporting event in the world.”

He also stressed that refereeing is a team effort and highlighted the work of his teammates Tomaž Klančnik and Andraž Kovačič, also Slovenians, who will be his assistants on the sidelines during the final.

The list of referees for the match is completed by Adham Makhadmeh and Mohammad Alkalaf, from Jordan.

The German Bastian Dankert, the Colombian Nicolás Gallo and the Qatari Khamis al Marri will be on the VAR.

The judges of the match for third place between England and France, which will be played on Saturday and will be directed by a Venezuelan team, were also announced: Jesús Valenzuela as main player and Jorge Urrego and Tulio Moreno as assistants.

Vast experience

The Slovenian referee has a long career and has already proven his expertise in matches at the highest level, such as the 2024 UEFA Champions League final between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid.

He also directed the Euro 2024 semifinal between Spain and France, and whistled at the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

He began his career in the Slovenian league in 2007 and in 2010 he obtained his FIFA referee credential.

In this World Cup, he refereed the Brazil vs. Morocco and Algeria vs. Jordan in the group stage and Mexico vs. Ecuador in sixteenths.

Perhaps the most important decision he had to make was giving a red card to Ecuadorian Piero Hincapié.

He did so because of a new rule that prohibits players from covering their mouths when they are having a verbal confrontation with another player, as Hincapié did in a tense moment with Mexican Santi Giménez.

As Pierluigi Colina explained, the choice of Slavko Vinčić as the main referee of the final responds to his performance during the tournament, his experience and also to the fact that he does not come from any of the countries that will play in the final.

The Slovenian noted that, as they have been doing until now, he and his team will study the teams and try to be mentally and physically “fresh” for the match.

Some referee decisions during this World Cup have been the subject of controversy, such as the annulment of Egypt's third goal against Argentina in their round of 16 match.

After that match, the Egyptian technical director complained about alleged favoritism by FIFA for Messi and Argentina.

Even President Donald Trump did the same by disavowing the decision of the referee of the USA vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina give a red card to Folarin Balogun.

FIFA ended up overturning the sanction on Balogun in perhaps the most controversial decision of the entire tournament.

For all these reasons, Vinčić will have the eyes of millions of viewers this Sunday, many of whom suspect that the World Cup organization is not completely impartial.

The last time the Slovenian whistled in a Spain match was in 2024, when they won against France in the Euro Cup semi-finals.

He has only refereed an Argentina match once: in Qatar 2022, when they lost against Saudi Arabia.

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