Slovenian Referee Slavko Vinčić to Officiate 2026 World Cup Final Between Spain and Argentina
FIFA announced that Slovenian referee Slavko Vinčić will officiate the 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, scheduled for Sunday in New Jersey. Vinčić will be the first Slovenian to referee a World Cup final. He will be assisted by fellow Slovenians Tomaž Klančnik and Andrej Kovacic. Jordanian officials Adham Mahadmeh and Mohamed Al-Khalaf will serve as the fourth official and reserve assistant referee, respectively.
Vinčić is well-known to Israeli football fans, having refereed a dramatic World Cup qualifier in October 2025 where Israel lost 5-4 to Italy. The 46-year-old referee gained additional attention during the tournament after influencer Sofia Vasquez posted a video praising his appearance, which went viral with over 1.3 million views on Instagram. This led to fans dubbing him the "sex symbol of the World Cup."
Professionally, Vinčić is regarded as one of Europe's top referees. In the current World Cup, he officiated matches including Brazil vs. Morocco, Jordan vs. Algeria, and Mexico vs. Ecuador. He previously refereed the 2022 Europa League final and the 2024 UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.
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