​The World Cup final on Sunday between Argentina and Spain will be overseen by Slavko Vinčić, a Slovenian referee, marking his second time handling a Champions League final as a World Cup decider after two years. FIFA announced the appointment on Thursday night. With this selection, Argentina—the defending champions—will again face a European referee in a match against a European opponent for the second consecutive World Cup final.
The tournament has faced criticism over refereeing perceptions, particularly regarding Argentina, with observers suggesting the team benefited from certain officiating calls. Notably, Lionel Messi escaped a possible red card for a rough challenge on an Algeria player, a controversy that led to comments from coaches of Egypt and South Africa about perceived inconsistencies and bias. After Egypt lodged a formal complaint alleging bias in decisions surrounding its 3-2 defeat to Argentina, Pierluigi Collina, FIFA’s director of referees, defended the officiating, saying, “Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials.”
Vinčić has officiated seven yellow cards and one red card across three matches in the 2026 World Cup so far and has not awarded a single penalty. In the round of 32, more than two weeks ago, he sent Ecuador’s Piero Hincapié off following a video review for covering his mouth during a confrontation with a Mexico player. He also refereed two group-stage games, including Brazil versus Morocco (1-1) and Algeria’s 2-1 victory over Jordan.
In the most recent European club season, Vinčić’s most notable assignment was Bayern Munich’s dramatic 4-3 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals. During that match, he issued five yellow cards to Real Madrid players and earned second yellow cards for Eduardo Camavinga (time-wasting) and Arda Güler (dissent), resulting in their sending-off late in the game. Those games were among just three red cards he showed in nine Champions League appearances, and he awarded only two penalties. The 46-year-old Slovenian also refereed Real Madrid’s 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the 2024 Champions League final.
FIFA’s selection of Vinčić surprised some observers given the ongoing tensions between FIFA President Gianni Infantino and UEFA, led by Slovenian lawyer Aleksander Čeferin, who is expected to attend the final in East Rutherford, New Jersey. UEFA has criticized FIFA for suspending a mandatory one-game ban for United States forward Folarin Balogun to allow him to face Belgium in the round of 16, calling the decision “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable.” During the tournament’s early days, several federations circulated a letter during a FIFA-hosted conference in Miami criticizing Čeferin personally for remarks reported to have been made in Slovenia about an expanded 48-team World Cup format.
Vinčić now follows Szymon Marciniak of Poland as the referee chosen to officiate what is widely regarded as the sport’s pinnacle match. Marciniak was the man in charge of the highly charged 3-3 World Cup final between Argentina and France in Qatar in December, where he awarded a penalty to each side, contributing to the dramatic draw.