FIFA announced Slavko's selection on Friday. Argentina, playing in their second consecutive final, will face a European rival in the title clash.
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Slavko Vinicic, 46, of Slovenia, will referee the 2026 World Cup final between defending champions Argentina and Spain on Sunday. He also refereed the Champions League final two years ago. FIFA announced Slavko's selection on Friday. Argentina, which is playing in its second consecutive final, will face a European rival in the title clash. The European referee has been selected against the backdrop of some of the referee's decisions being disputed. His two assistants are Slovenians Toman Klanik and Andraz Kovacic. Some teams have accused the referee of favoring Argentina and captain Lionel Messi. Slavko has played three games in this World Cup, showing seven yellow cards and one red card. He officiated the last 16 match between Mexico and Ecuador. Slavko, with the help of Var, showed Ecuador's Pierre Hincapie a red card for covering his face. He refereed the matches between Brazil and Morocco and Algeria and Jordan in the league stage.
He was the referee when Bayern Munich defeated Real Madrid 4-3 in the last Champions League. He played the role of referee when Real beat Borussia Dortmund in the 2024 Champions League final.
