Slovenian referee Slavko Vinčić has been appointed to officiate the Fifa World Cup 2026 final between Argentina and Spain at New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday, July 19, becoming the first official from Slovenia to take charge of football's biggest match.
The 46-year-old said the appointment came as a complete surprise and described it as an "incredible honour".
Speaking after being informed of the decision by Fifa Chief Refereeing Officer and Referees Committee Chairman Pierluigi Collina, Vinčić said he was initially in disbelief.
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"First of all, a shock. Then happiness. I was shaking. It's an incredible honour to get to the Fifa World Cup final," he said.
He said officiating a World Cup final was a dream shared by referees from the moment they began their careers, adding that he was "very proud" of both himself and his team.
Watch his emotional reaction below:
Vinčić becomes just the 23rd referee in history to officiate a Fifa World Cup final and the first Slovenian to receive the honour.
"I'm very proud to represent my country, Slovenia, at the biggest sporting event in the world," he said. "My team is very proud, and we'll do our best."
At this year's tournament, Vinčić has overseen Brazil's group-stage match against Morocco, Jordan's clash with Algeria and Mexico's Round of 32 meeting with Ecuador.
Vinčić credited much of the achievement to assistant referees Tomaž Klančnik and Andraž Kovačič, saying refereeing is built on teamwork and that reaching the World Cup final would not have been possible without them.
Vinčić experience as referee
Vinčić brings extensive experience to the World Cup final. This is his second Fifa World Cup after officiating two matches at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
The Slovenian has also overseen several of Europe's biggest matches, including the Uefa Europa League final in 2022 between Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers and the 2024 Uefa Champions League final between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid. He also officiated at Uefa Euro 2020 and Uefa Euro 2024, including the semi-final between France and Spain, as well as matches at the 2025 Fifa Club World Cup in the United States.
Jordanian Adham Makhadmeh will also serve as the fourth official for the final, with his compatriot Mohammad Al-Kalaf as reserve assistant referee.
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