Who was named referee for the 2026 final between Spain and Argentina?

Slavko Vinčić was named referee for the 2026 FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina. FIFA appointed the Slovenian official to oversee the championship match at New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19, 2026.

The appointment gave Vinčić the biggest assignment of his international career. He had already built a reputation in European football, including refereeing the 2024 UEFA Champions League final between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid. His selection also made him the first Slovenian referee to take charge of a men’s World Cup final.

Vinčić had officiated Argentina at the 2022 World Cup, when he refereed their surprise defeat by Saudi Arabia in the group stage. That earlier match is an easy source of confusion, because Szymon Marciniak—not Vinčić—refereed Argentina’s 2022 final against France. João Pinheiro and Iván Barton were among other tournament officials, but neither was assigned the 2026 final.