FIFA has announced the officiating referees for the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain on Thursday, July 16.
Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic is set to officiate the FIFA World Cup final on Sunday, July 19, at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey.
Vincic will be assisted by fellow Slovenians Tomaz Klancnik and Andraz Kovacic.
Adham Makhadmeh will act as the fourth official, with Mohammad Alkalaf performing as the reserve assistant referee.
The announcement made Vincic emotional, saying, “So, first of all, a shock. Then happiness. I was shaking, so it’s an incredible honour to get the World Cup final.”
“It’s something that…it’s only a dream for a referee, for a young referee when they start. So, I’m very proud, very proud of myself, my team,” Vincic added, while buzzing with the news.
Who is Slavko Vincic?
Vincic is not naive to the game and is widely recognised as one of the top-tier officials of European football.
He has the credit for officiating the historic fixture of 2024 Champions League final between Madrid and Borussia Dortmund at Wembley.
Vincic, 46, has officiated at two European Championships, including Spain’s Euro 2024 semi-final win over France en route to their title win.
The Slovenian football referee made his World Cup bow in Qatar in 2022, with his debut match bringing back unwanted memories to Argentina fans to this day.
Therefore, the announcement has left Messi fans skeptical of the bogeyman.
For context, Vincic officiated Argentina’s World Cup opener against Saudi Arabia—a match they lost.
How later G.O.A.T. Lionel Messi-led Argentina rose to the occasion and lifted the trophy for the third time.
The FIFA World Cup’s super Sunday, July 19, clash between Argentina and Spain will be his sixth career World Cup fixture overall.
The kickoff time is set at 3 p.m. ET (19:00 GMT) in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
2026-07-17 14:39:00
