Champions from Europe and South America will face off in the finalissima of sorts as Argentina, the Copa America winner and defending world champion, takes on the reigning European champion, Spain, in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final on Sunday.
Argentina fought off England with a brilliant comeback victory, while Spain pulled off a dominant 2-0 victory over France, the runner-up at Qatar 2022.
Slavko Vinčić from Slovenia will be the referee in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final between Spain and Argentina.
Vinčić has been an international-listed referee for FIFA since 2010. The 45-year-old refereed the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League final at Wembley Stadium.
Vincic has been involved in controversies both on and off the field. In 2020, he was arrested for his alleged involvement in prostitution and drug trafficking. However, he was eventually cleared of all wrongdoing.
Vincic was the referee in the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, and recently officiated in the UCL quarterfinal second-leg this season. He was also the man-in-the-middle in the EURO 2024 semifinal between France and Spain.
In the Champions League quarterfinal this season, he was criticised by Real Madrid for sending off Eduardo Camavinga, a decision that had a major bearing on the results as Bayern won the game 4-3.
In his three games so far at the 2026 World Cup, Vinčić has shown seven yellow cards and one red card, and awarded no penalty kicks.
In the most recent of his games, in the round of 32 more than two weeks ago, Vinčić sent off Ecuador’s Piero Hincapie after a video review for covering his mouth in a confrontation with a Mexico opponent.
Vinčić also worked two group-stage games, when Brazil and Morocco drew 1-1, and Algeria beat Jordan 2-1.
Comments
Published on Jul 19, 2026