Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic has been appointed to officiate the 2026 FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and Spain, FIFA announced on Thursday.
The 46-year-old will take charge of the title decider at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sunday local time, which falls on Monday in Bangladesh. More than 80,000 spectators are expected to attend the match.
Vincic will be assisted by fellow Slovenians Tomaz Klancnik and Andraz Kovacic. Jordan’s Adham Makhadmeh has been named fourth official, while Qatar’s Mohammad Al-Kalaf will serve as reserve assistant referee.
FIFA’s head of refereeing, Pierluigi Collina, confirmed the appointment in a video released by the governing body, describing it as a significant milestone in Vincic’s career.
The Slovenian has been a FIFA-listed referee since 2010 and has established himself as one of Europe’s leading officials. His major assignments include the 2024 UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund at Wembley and the 2022 UEFA Europa League final between Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers.
Vincic made his World Cup debut in Qatar in 2022, where he officiated two matches. At the 2026 tournament, he has already taken charge of three games: Brazil against Morocco, Jordan against Algeria and Mexico’s Round of 32 clash with Ecuador.
The final between Argentina and Spain will be his sixth World Cup match overall and his fourth at the current tournament, making it the most prestigious appointment of his career.
His only previous match involving Argentina came during the group stage of the 2022 World Cup. Lionel Messi’s side suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia, ending a 36-match unbeaten run.
During that match, Vincic awarded Argentina a seventh-minute penalty after Leandro Paredes was fouled. Messi converted from the spot to give his side the lead. Six Saudi Arabian players were booked, while no Argentine player received a yellow card.
The referee has a longer history with Spain. He first officiated the national team in a friendly against Colombia in 2017 before taking charge of Spain’s Euro 2020 group-stage match against Sweden and their UEFA Nations League semi-final victory over Italy in 2023.
He has also overseen two notable matches involving Lamine Yamal. Vincic refereed Spain’s 1-0 win over Italy at Euro 2024 and their 2-1 semi-final victory over France, a match remembered for Yamal’s spectacular long-range goal.
Sunday’s final will be only the second competitive World Cup meeting between Argentina and Spain. Their only previous encounter in the tournament came in 1966.
Argentina are aiming to win a fourth World Cup title, while Spain are seeking their second crown after lifting the trophy in 2010.
