Revealed: Slavko Vinčić’s unique record of refereeing the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain, with Messi and Yamal

Slavko Vinčić will referee Messi’s Argentina vs. Jamal’s Spain in the 2026 World Cup final / AI Image FIFA has handed Slovenian referee Slavko Vinčić the biggest appointment of his career, confirming he will officiate Sunday’s 2026 FIFA World Cup final between defending champions Argentina and Spain at the New York New Jersey Stadium.The 46-year-old has spent nearly two decades navigating European football refereeing and now becomes the man tasked with overseeing one of the most anticipated World Cup finals in recent history. He will be assisted by Slovenian colleagues Tomaž Klančnik and Andraž Kovačič, Jordanian Adham Makhadmeh was appointed fourth referee and Mohammad Alkalaf as substitute referee.For Vinčić, the appointment represents the culmination of a career built on steady progression through domestic, European and international football.

From Slovenia to the biggest football stage

Born in Maribor, Slovenia in 1979, Vinčić began refereeing professionally in his home country’s top division in 2007 before earning his FIFA international badge in 2010.His performances quickly established him among UEFA’s elite officials, leading to regular appointments to the Champions League and Europa League.Over the past decade, it has celebrated some of the biggest events in European football, including the 2022 UEFA Europa League Final between Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers and the 2024 UEFA Champions League Final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.In addition to his club involvement, Vinčić has become a regular at international tournaments, as an official at UEFA Euro 2020, Euro 2024, the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and now the 2026 World Cup, where his performances have earned him a main part of the tournament.According to Transfer marketVinčić played more than 500 senior matches during his career, issuing 2,093 yellow cards, 113 red cards and awarding 117 penalties.

The World Cup journey has reached its peak

Sunday’s final will be Vinčić’s eighth World Cup match across the last two tournaments.He made his first appearance at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, before returning for a further four appearances during the 2026 tournament. These performances convinced the FIFA Referees Department to hand him the Spain-Argentina final.Earlier at this World Cup, Vinčić officiated Brazil’s group stage draw with Morocco, Algeria’s victory over Jordan and Mexico’s round of 32 win against Ecuador.

Referee Slavko Vincic of Slovenia talks with Ecuador’s Pier Hincapio (3) during the FIFA World Cup 32 match between Mexico and Ecuador in Mexico City, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

The knockout game attracted particular attention after Vinčić sent off Ecuador defender Piero Hincapié following a VAR review for covering his mouth while talking to Mexico forward Santiago Giménez, marking the first red card of his career at a major international tournament after previously overseeing ten World Cup and European matches without sending off a player.

His record with Argentina

Despite Argentina regularly featuring in major tournaments, Vinčić has only refereed once for Lionel Scaloni’s team.That lone encounter came in one of the most memorable matches of the 2022 World Cup, Argentina’s shock 2-1 defeat by Saudi Arabia in their opening group game.The Slovenian official awarded Argentina an early penalty after Leandro Paredes was fouled inside the area, allowing Lionel Messi to score from the spot, and later showed six yellow cards to the Saudi players.Despite suffering one of the worst misfortunes in World Cup history that afternoon, Argentina recovered to win six straight games and lift the trophy in Qatar.Sunday’s final will thus be only the second Argentinian match of Vinčić’s international refereeing career.

Spain’s unsurpassed record under Vinčić

In contrast, Spain have faced Vinčić significantly more often, although remarkably all of those meetings have taken place in UEFA competitions, as the Slovenian referee had never officiated Spain in a FIFA World Cup match prior to this final appointment in 2026.He was in charge of La Roja’s four matches before the final, with Spain remaining unbeaten in each.

Before the emergence of Lamine Yamal

Vinčić’s early Spain assignments came before the rise of Lamine Yamal at senior international level.His first cap for Spain came in a 2017 friendly against Colombia, which ended in a 2–2 draw, before he managed Spain’s goalless Euro 2020 group stage draw against Sweden. He was later named for La Roja in the 2023 UEFA Nations League semi-final clash with Italy, where Spain secured a 2–1 victory, further highlighting his involvement in major European matches.Vinčić also officiated for Spain during the formation of Lamine Yamal, including two crucial matches in their Euro 2024 triumph.These included Spain’s 1-0 group stage victory over Italy and a memorable 2-1 semi-final victory over France where Yamal scored his stunning long-range equalizer before Spain completed another comeback on their way to lifting the European Championship.In both phases, before and after the Yamal breakthrough, Spain maintained a perfect record under Vinčić, going unbeaten in all four matches.This contrast adds an interesting undertone to the final, with Spain yet to lose under his whistle, while Argentina’s only previous experience with the Slovenian official ended in defeat.

Career continued after police investigation in 2020

Outside of football, Vinčić briefly made international headlines in 2020 after he was detained during a police raid in a suspected prostitution and organized crime operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.Slovenian authorities and Vinčić have consistently maintained that he was involved in business dealings and was not involved in any criminal activity. He was released without charge, no charges were brought against him, and he returned to office shortly thereafter.His subsequent appointments to the Champions League final, the European Championship, the World Cup and now the 2026 World Cup final underline the confidence that UEFA and FIFA continue to place in him since the incident.But on Sunday, none of that history will matter once the whistle blows. Vinčić will oversee only the second World Cup final between reigning champions Argentina and newly crowned European champions Spain, with football’s biggest prize and place in history awaiting the winner.