The World Cup final between Argentina and Spain on Sunday will be led by Slovenian referee Slavko Vinčić, two years after he handled a Champions League final. FIFA made the announcement late Thursday. It marks the second consecutive final in which Argentina, the defending champion, will face a European side with a European official in charge.
FIFA has drawn criticism during this World Cup over decisions that appeared to favor Argentina, including an incident where Lionel Messi avoided a red card for a challenge on an Algeria player. Coaches from Egypt and South Africa have pointed to inconsistent rulings.
Following Egypt’s formal complaint about bias in its 3-2 defeat to Argentina, FIFA referees director Pierluigi Collina stated that the integrity of World Cup officials cannot be questioned.
In three matches at the 2026 World Cup, Vinčić has issued seven yellow cards and one red card while awarding no penalties.
His most recent game came in the round of 32 more than two weeks ago, when he dismissed Ecuador’s Piero Hincapie after video review for covering his mouth during a confrontation with a Mexico player.
Vinčić also officiated two group-stage matches: a 1-1 draw between Brazil and Morocco, and Algeria’s 2-1 win over Jordan.
During the prior European club season, his highest-profile assignment was Bayern Munich’s 4-3 victory against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals. He issued yellow cards to five Madrid players and sent off two others late in the match.
Those dismissals were among three red cards shown by Vinčić across nine Champions League games, in which he awarded two penalties.
The 46-year-old Slovenian also refereed Real Madrid’s 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund in the 2024 Champions League final.
The selection of Vinčić has surprised some observers amid reported tensions between FIFA president Gianni Infantino and UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, who is expected to attend the final in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
UEFA has accused FIFA of crossing a line by lifting a one-game ban on United States forward Folarin Balogun for a round-of-16 match against Belgium, calling the move unprecedented.
On the fourth day of the tournament, several federations released a letter at a FIFA conference in Miami criticizing Ceferin over remarks about the expanded 48-team format.
Vinčić succeeds Poland’s Szymon Marciniak, who officiated the 2022 final between Argentina and France in Qatar that ended 3-3 before Argentina prevailed on penalties.
