Slavko Vincic, the 46-year-old Slovenian referee, retired one week after officiating the 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina on July 18, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4]. He was the first Slovenian to referee a World Cup final and received recognition from the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) and the International Association of Football Referees (AIA) as the best referee of the tournament [1, 2, 3, 4].
The final in the United States ended with Spain beating Argentina 1-0 after extra time. Vincic issued a red card to Argentina’s midfielder Enzo Fernández in stoppage time [2, 3, 4]. The match drew controversy as some fans applauded Vincic’s fairness, while others criticized him for biased decisions favoring Spain, accusing him of “selling out” or a “black whistle” to influence the outcome [2, 4].
The game also saw physical clashes, including an incident where Argentine player Leandro Paredes knocked down Spain’s Gavi. FIFA is investigating the post-match incidents. Gavi publicly said he does not want Paredes to be banned over the clash [2].
During the 2026 World Cup, Vincic refereed four matches, including a group stage game between Brazil and Morocco and Mexico’s round-of-16 win over Ecuador. In the Mexico-Ecuador match, he sent off Ecuador’s Piero Hincapie for covering his mouth while speaking [2, 3, 4].
At the club level, Vincic officiated the 2024 UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, the 2022 Europa League final, and served as fourth official in the 2021 Europa League final. In 2025, he made history as the first foreign referee to officiate a Turkish Super Lig derby [1, 3, 4].
He achieved UEFA elite referee status in 2019 and officiated at Euro 2020 and the 2024 European Championship semifinal between Spain and Italy [1, 3, 4].
The Slovenian Football Association announced his retirement on July 26, 2026, stating, "A week after the World Cup final in the US, Slavko Vincic officially concluded his historic refereeing career at the top of the world" [1, 2, 3, 4].
