Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic appointed for Spain vs Argentina final
The 2026 FIFA World Cup final will take place on 19 July at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, United States. Reigning world champions Argentina will face reigning European champions Spain in the tournament’s decisive match.
Who will win the 2026 World Cup?
We look at everything you need to know about the refereeing team appointed for the final, as well as the card and sending off betting trends worth considering.
Who will referee the 2026 FIFA World Cup final?
Slavko Vincic, aged 46, has been appointed as the referee for the 2026 World Cup final. The upcoming fixture will be only his sixth match at a World Cup.
The Slovenian has taken charge of three games at the 2026 tournament and two at the 2022 World Cup. However, he has officiated only one knockout match, the 2026 World Cup first knockout-round meeting between Mexico and Ecuador.
Vincic will be assisted in the final by fellow Slovenians Tomaz Klancnik and Andraz Kovacic. Adham Makhadmeh has been appointed as the fourth official, while Mohammad Al-Kalaf will serve as the reserve assistant referee. Both are from Jordan.
Slavko Vincic’s World Cup stats
|
Matches |
Yellow cards per match |
Red cards per match |
Penalties awarded per match |
Fouls per match |
|
5 |
3 |
0,2 |
0.2 |
24.8 |
Vincic has averaged 2.33 yellow cards per game at the 2026 World Cup and has also produced one sending-off. Ecuador defender Piero Hincapié was shown a straight red card for covering his mouth with his hand during an altercation with an opponent, with the Vinícius rule coming into effect.
Vincic refereed the Europa League final in the 2021/22 season before taking charge of the 2023/24 Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. The Slovenian referee has also overseen two European Championship knockout matches. These were the Belgium vs Italy quarter-final at Euro 2020 and the Spain vs France semi-final at Euro 2024.
Supporters may remember Vincic most clearly for the 2025/26 Champions League semi-final between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. The Slovenian showed Eduardo Camavinga a second yellow card for time-wasting, apparently forgetting that the Frenchman had already been booked.
The incident was highlighted in refereeing reports as a serious mistake. The committee concluded that the referee had disrupted the rhythm of the match after incorrectly assessing the situation. It is therefore particularly surprising that Vincic has been given the final so soon after such a significant error.
Slavko Vincic’s stats in the 2025/26 season
|
Matches |
Yellow cards per match |
Red cards per match |
Penalties awarded per match |
Fouls per match |
|
23 |
3.74 |
0.17 |
0.35 |
27.7 |
How Vincic has refereed Spain and Argentina
The Slovenian referee has taken charge of only one Argentina match. During Argentina’s successful 2022 World Cup campaign, Vincic officiated their 1:2 defeat to Saudi Arabia. In the 10th minute, he awarded Argentina a penalty against Saudi Arabia, which Lionel Messi converted. In the 29th minute, he disallowed a Lautaro Martínez goal following a VAR review.
Vincic awarded 28 fouls in that match, with seven committed by Argentina and 21 by Saudi Arabia. He also showed six yellow cards, all of them to Saudi Arabia during the second half.
Vincic has refereed Spain three times without showing a red card or awarding a penalty in any of those matches. Those fixtures were the 0:0 draw with Sweden at Euro 2020, followed by the 1:0 victory over Italy and the 2:1 win against France at Euro 2024.
Slavko Vincic’s stats in Spain matches
|
Matches |
Yellow cards per match |
Red cards per match |
Penalties awarded per match |
Fouls per match |
|
3 |
3.33 |
0 |
0 |
24 |
Interestingly, Spain have never lost with Vincic as the referee, while Argentina have never won. Could that be a reason to back Spain or the draw in the final?
Refereeing trends for the 2026 FIFA World Cup final
One notable feature of Vincic’s matches is the significantly higher number of yellow cards shown during the second half. Across his last 10 matches, Vincic has shown more than two first-half bookings on only two occasions, averaging one card before the interval. After the break, however, he has averaged 2.2 yellow cards.
Spain have received only two first-half bookings across seven matches at the 2026 World Cup, against France and Belgium. That makes odds of
7/10
on Spain receiving under 0.5 yellow cards before the interval even more appealing.
Given Vincic’s relatively lenient approach, Argentina under 1.5 yellow cards at odds of
6/5
also appears to offer value. Vincic has shown more than two yellow cards in only five of his last 10 matches. Argentina have exceeded this total in only two of their seven matches at the 2026 World Cup. They also received just one booking in normal time during the 2022 final against France.
A safer alternative is Argentina under 2.5 yellow cards at
2/5
Argentina have gone above this mark only twice in their last 14 World Cup matches, during the dramatic encounter with the Netherlands in 2022 and against England. Even in the latter match, Argentina’s third yellow card was not shown until stoppage time.
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