German VAR Referee Bastian Dankert to Oversee 2026 World Cup Final

The 2026 FIFA World Cup final, scheduled for Sunday, will be officiated by Slaviša Vinčić, widely regarded as one of the best referees globally. However, the role of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) team is also crucial, with German referee Bastian Dankert leading the VAR officials. Dankert, who has been a Bundesliga referee since 2014, is considered among the top VAR referees worldwide. His assistants will be Nicolás Gallo from Colombia and Hamias Al-Marri from Qatar.

Dankert has significant experience in major tournaments, having served on the VAR team during the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and officiated nine matches as VAR in the recent European Championship, where he earned a reputation as the best in his field. Despite this, he faced criticism for awarding a controversial penalty to England against the Netherlands at Euro 2020. During the current World Cup, he refereed three group stage matches and participated as a VAR assistant in others.

Throughout the Bundesliga season, Dankert has been the VAR referee and once admitted to a notable error when he awarded a penalty to Timo Werner after a dive, for which he apologized. He was also the VAR official during Argentina's opening match loss to Saudi Arabia in the 2022 World Cup, where Argentina received an early penalty following a VAR intervention deemed justified. Notably, Dankert has not officiated any matches involving Spain in the last two World Cups.

His appointment as the lead VAR official in the 2026 final highlights FIFA's trust in his expertise despite past controversies. The final will take place in North America, marking a significant moment in Dankert's refereeing career.