Slavko Vincic will referee the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain

FIFA has appointed Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic for the 2026 World Cup final between Argentina and Spain. The match will be played on Sunday at New York New Jersey Stadium.

Tomaž Klančnik and Andraž Kovačič will work as assistant referees, with Adham Makhadmeh as the fourth official.

Vincic, 46, has already handled major European finals. He refereed the 2024 Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund and the 2022 Europa League final between Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers.

The World Cup final now becomes the largest appointment of his career.

FIFA selected an experienced European referee

Vincic is 46 and has worked at the highest level of European club football. FIFA gave him the final after a tournament in which he had already taken charge of major matches.

The appointment adds the World Cup final to Vincic’s career record. His decisions on Sunday will depend on the laws of the game and the incidents that happen in the final.

Vincic is an international referee from Slovenia. His two assistants, Klancnik and Kovacic, come from the same national association. Their shared language and previous appointments provide an established working group.

Makhadmeh adds experience as the fourth official and will remain between the two technical areas.

The Slovenian team includes two assistant referees

Tomaz Klancnik and Andraz Kovacic will work on the touchlines. Both are Slovenian and have appeared with Vincic in previous international appointments.

Adham Makhadmeh of Jordan has been named as the fourth official. The published crew gives the final a referee group with experience in different competitions.

The 2024 Champions League final ended 2-0 to Real Madrid against Borussia Dortmund. Vincic worked with his regular assistants at Wembley. Two years earlier, he handled the Europa League final in Seville.

Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers drew 1-1 before Frankfurt won the penalty shootout.

The 2024 Champions League final is part of his record

Vincic refereed Real Madrid’s 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund in the 2024 Champions League final at Wembley. That was his first assignment in the final of Europe’s main club competition.

He had also handled the 2022 Europa League final between Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers. Frankfurt won that match on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

A World Cup final is appointed by FIFA after the refereeing group assesses the tournament. The selected official remains eligible after his earlier matches and after the two finalists are known.

Vincic’s assignment follows Spain’s semifinal win over France, which decided one finalist.

Vincic’s appointment was announced once Argentina and Spain had secured their places.

Argentina and Spain meet on Sunday

The final will be played at New York New Jersey Stadium. Argentina reached the match by beating England, while Spain defeated France in the other semi-final.

The two teams and the venue are confirmed. The appointment places Vincic in charge of the match that will decide the 2026 world champion.

Argentina reached Sunday by beating England 2-1 in the semi-final. Spain defeated France to claim the other place.

The final therefore joins the defending South American champions with a European side returning to the deciding match after a long absence.

The final is his largest international appointment

Vincic has worked at World Cups, European Championships and in UEFA club competitions. None of those assignments carried the same title as a men’s World Cup final.

Sunday therefore becomes a new point in his career. Cards, video decisions and added time will depend on events during the match.

New York New Jersey Stadium will host the final. The venue has already staged matches during the tournament and now receives the closing fixture.

The third photograph shows the stadium itself, while the first two show Vincic working during the World Cup.

The match will also use video officials

FIFA’s competition rules provide video assistance for the final. The complete officiating team will apply the same system used through the tournament.

Any video check will concern a real incident during the game and will follow the tournament procedure used by FIFA.

The official appointment lists the names and roles of the referee team. Vincic is the referee, Klancnik and Kovacic are assistants, and Makhadmeh is fourth official. Other members of the video team work under FIFA’s published match designation.

The appointment completes the list of main participants

Argentina, Spain, New York New Jersey Stadium and Vincic’s referee team are now confirmed for the final. The only remaining central fact will be the result.

Kick-off will begin a separate sporting event. Before then, the referee appointment stands as the latest official part of the World Cup schedule.

The appointment puts a Slovenian referee in charge of football’s largest single match. It also completes a sequence of UEFA and FIFA finals that Vincic reached during the strongest period of his officiating career.