Ljubljana, July 27 (V7N) – Slovenian referee Slavko Vinčić has officially brought his distinguished refereeing career to an end, retiring just one week after officiating the 2026 FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and Spain.
Vinčić took charge of the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New York on July 19, where Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 after extra time to lift their second world title.
The 46-year-old referee issued five yellow cards and one red card during the final, with all disciplinary actions directed at Argentine players.
Interestingly, Vinčić has been involved in both of Argentina's defeats across the last two FIFA World Cups. He also officiated Argentina's shock 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in their opening match of the 2022 World Cup before overseeing their defeat to Spain in the 2026 final.
Since receiving FIFA's international referee badge in 2010, Vinčić established himself as one of Europe's leading match officials, taking charge of numerous high-profile domestic and international fixtures.
Among the highlights of his club career were officiating the 2022 UEFA Europa League final between Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers, as well as the 2024 UEFA Champions League final featuring Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.
At the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Vinčić refereed four matches, including the tournament's showpiece final, which ultimately became the last match of his officiating career.
The Football Association of Slovenia officially confirmed the retirement of the veteran referee, bringing an end to a career that spanned more than a decade and included some of football's biggest matches.
END/SMA/AJ
