Slovenian referee Slavko Vinčić will be at the centre of football’s biggest stage on Sunday after FIFA appointed him to officiate the 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina.
The appointment makes the 46-year-old the first Slovenian to referee a FIFA World Cup final and only the 23rd official in history to take charge of the tournament’s showpiece match.
Here’s everything you need to know about him:
First Slovenian to referee a World Cup final
Vinčić received the news from FIFA Chief Refereeing Officer and Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, Pierluigi Collina, in an emotional meeting captured on video by FIFA.
Reacting to the appointment, the Maribor-born official described the moment as the fulfilment of a lifelong dream.
“First of all, a shock. Then happiness. I was shaking. It’s an incredible honour to get the World Cup final.
“It’s only a dream for a referee when they start their career. I’m very proud of myself and my team.
“It’s very difficult to put everything into words, but I’m very proud to represent my country, Slovenia, at the biggest sporting event in the world. My team is very proud, and we will do our best.”
His World Cup experience
The 2026 tournament is Vinčić’s second FIFA World Cup after making his debut at the 2022 edition in Qatar, where he handled two group-stage matches.
In this year’s competition, he has officiated:
Brazil vs Morocco (Group C)
Algeria vs Jordan (Group J)
Mexico vs Ecuador (Round of 32)
His performances throughout the tournament earned him the responsibility of refereeing the final.
Major finals already under his belt
Although this will be his first World Cup final, Vinčić is no stranger to high-profile matches.
In 2024, UEFA appointed him to referee the Champions League final at Wembley, where Real Madrid defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-0.
He also officiated the 2022 UEFA Europa League final between Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers.
The Champions League appointment made him only the second Slovenian referee, after Damir Skomina, to handle Europe’s biggest club final.
A team effort
Vinčić said the honour belongs to his officiating team as much as it does to him.
“Refereeing is all about teamwork. Without them, without Tomaž and Andraž, this is not possible.
“I’m really happy that I’ve had them throughout my career. We are really good friends, a good team, and thanks to them.”
His assistant referees for the final will be Tomaž Klančnik and Andraž Kovačič, while Jordan’s Adham Makhadmeh will serve as fourth official and Mohammad Al-Kalaf as reserve assistant referee.
Why FIFA chose him
According to FIFA’s Chief Refereeing Officer, Pierluigi Collina, the appointment followed weeks of assessment, with on-field performances carrying the greatest weight.
“It’s a long process. There are many pieces of the puzzle that have to be combined.
“The performances are what matter the most. Of course, the matches they refereed before, and also the fact that his team is not playing in this competition, but mainly performances. At the end of the day, that’s what really matters.”
Collina added that informing referees of their World Cup final appointments remains one of the most emotional parts of the tournament.
“It’s emotional for the referees, but it is very emotional also for me. This is the third time I’ve done it at a FIFA World Cup, and I still get goosebumps.”
How he’s preparing for the final
Despite the magnitude of Sunday’s game, Vinčić said his preparation would remain unchanged.
“Preparation will not change much. We will analyse the teams again, even though we’ve been following them for more than 40 days.
“We’ll stay focused, try to be mentally fresh and physically fresh, and we’ll do our best so that we will not be a topic after the match.”
