Slovenia’s Salvo Vincic has been appointed the referee for the FIFA World Cup 2026 final between Argentina and Spain to be played on July 19 at the New Jersey Stadium. He was appointed alongside assistant referees Tomaz Klancnik and Andraz Kovacic.
Vincic has been a FIFA-listed official since 2010, and is among the familiar faces in UEFA. He officiated the 2024 UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. He has also officiated matches in the UEFA European Championship.
He may not be a veteran in World Cups, having officiated only in five matches across 2022 (two) and 2026 editions (three, excluding the final). But, a piece of history would make Argentina fans nervous. He officiated one of the biggest upsets at the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar – when Saudi Arabia edged La Albiceleste 2-1. Argentina, however, bounced back from the defeat and went on to win their third title.
Vincic was born on November 25, 1979, in football-crazy town of Maribor, Slovenia, which was then part of Yugoslavia. Though an engineer by training with a background in telecommunications, he chose to pursue a career in refereeing and joined the Slovenian football refereeing system and began officiating domestic matches. His experience at the youth and lower-division matches helped him gain opportunities in Slovenia’s top domestic competitions, and was promoted to the Slovenian PrvaLiga, the country’s highest football division.
After getting his FIFA referee badge in 2010, he started officiating international matches under FIFA and UEFA. He began handling UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League fixtures, including high-pressure matches. With experience, he soon became one of UEFA’s elite match officials.
His last assignment at the ongoing FIFA World Cup was on July 1, when Mexico defeated Ecuador 2-0 in the Round of 32. The clash saw Ecuador's Piero Hincapie getting a straight red card from Vincic.
