FIFA names Slovenian referee Slavko Vinčić to officiate the 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina at New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19. Vinčić, 46, who hails from Maribor, Slovenia, received news of his appointment from Pierluigi Collina, FIFA’s chief refereeing officer and chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee.
The appointment makes Vinčić the 23rd person in history to referee a FIFA World Cup final and the first from Slovenia. He will be joined by compatriots Tomaz Klancnik and Andraz Kovacic as assistants, while Jordan’s Adham Makhadmeh will serve as fourth official.
Jordanian Mohammad Al-Kalaf has been named reserve assistant referee.
Kick-off at New York-New Jersey Stadium is fixed for 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday, July 19, 2026. The venue, MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, located five miles west of New York City, will carry the FIFA designation “New York New Jersey Stadium” throughout the tournament, with branded signage covered under FIFA’s sponsorship policies.
Its capacity of 80,663 seats makes it the largest venue used at any point in the 2026 edition.
Sunday’s fixture will be Vinčić’s fourth assignment at the 2026 tournament, having already taken charge of group-stage matches between Brazil and Morocco, Jordan and Algeria, and the Round of 32 clash between Mexico and Ecuador.
Across his five World Cup matches, Vinčić has averaged just three yellow cards per game, a rate below the final average recorded at the 2022 Qatar edition.
An international-listed FIFA referee since 2010, Vinčić has taken charge of a total of 72 Champions League and Europa League matches, including knockout fixtures and finals. He officiated at UEFA Euro 2020 and took charge of the 2022 UEFA Europa League final between Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers before officiating the 2024 UEFA Champions League final between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid and the Euro 2024 semi-final matches.
Vinčić has refereed Argentina only once at a World Cup, overseeing their historic 2-1 group-stage defeat to Saudi Arabia at Qatar 2022, which remains the team’s most recent loss at a World Cup.
Spain, by contrast, has never lost a match officiated by the Slovenian. As gathered by Westtrybe, FIFA posted the full officiating panel on its official X handle on Friday.
Vinčić told reporters the appointment belonged to his whole team: “So, refereeing is all about teamwork. So, without them, without Tomaž and Andraž, this is not possible.” FIFA Chief Refereeing Officer Collina disclosed that selecting the final referee was “a long process,” adding, “There are many pieces of the puzzle, but they have had to be combined all together to get the picture of the final referee.
Sunday’s match is the final fixture of the 2026 World Cup, the 23rd edition of FIFA’s competition for men’s national teams, contested by European champions Spain and defending world champions Argentina.
The 104-game tournament features 48 teams across 16 host cities in three countries: Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Spain reached the final after eliminating France in the semifinal, as gathered by Westtrybe from Punch Newspapers reporting.
Argentina, captained by Lionel Messi, beat Egypt, Switzerland, and England in the knockout rounds, per documents seen by Westtrybe. Sunday’s final will also feature the first halftime show in FIFA World Cup history, with Justin Bieber, Madonna, Shakira, and BTS performing, alongside Burna Boy, Gustavo Dudamel, and the PS22 Chorus featuring Coldplay.
FIFA confirmed the halftime show will support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative targeting $100 million to expand access to quality education and football for children worldwide.
Argentina carries the weight of a 2022 Qatar title defense into New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday, while Spain chases a second World Cup crown to go alongside their 2010 triumph in South Africa.
