World Cup final referee 2026: Who are match officials and VAR for Spain vs. Argentina?

World Cup final referee 2026: Who are match officials and VAR for Spain vs. Argentina? originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The referee assignment for Sunday's World Cup final comes with some history attached.

Slavko Vincic has already been at the center of a debated penalty call involving Argentina and two contentious red cards concerning Spain's biggest clubs, and now he's the man FIFA has picked to referee the biggest match of the tournament.

Spain are chasing their second World Cup title, while Argentina are trying to become the first team to win back-to-back trophies since Brazil in 1958 and 1962.

Here's the rundown on who is in the refereeing team for the showdown at MetLife Stadium.

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Spain vs. Argentina referee: Match officials and VAR

The following officials will oversee the 2026 FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina:

Referee: Slavko Vincic (Slovenia)

Assistant referees: Tomaz Klancnik (Slovenia), Andraz Kovacic (Slovenia)

4th official: Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan)

Assistant VARs: Nicolas Gallo, Khamis Al Marri

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Slovenian Slavko Vincic will serve as referee for the final between Spain and Argentina, becoming the first man from his country to take charge of a men's World Cup final.

Vincic has held a FIFA badge since 2010 and already has two major European finals on his resume, the 2022 UEFA Europa League final and the 2024 UEFA Champions League final.

In 2026, Vincic refereed Brazil vs. Morocco and Jordan vs. Algeria in the group stage, plus Mexico vs. Ecuador in the Round of 32. Across those three matches, he's shown seven yellow cards and one red card — given to Ecuador's Piero Hincapie for breaking the new rule around players covering their mouths during confrontations — and hasn't awarded a penalty.

His only previous match involving Argentina was the 2022 World Cup group opener against Saudi Arabia, the shock 2-1 upset that ended Argentina's 36-match unbeaten run. Vincic gave Argentina a seventh-minute penalty after Leandro Paredes was pulled down at a corner, and Messi scored from the spot to open the game. He then booked six Saudi Arabia players in the final 37 minutes without showing a single card to Argentina.

He's also had recent run-ins with Spain's two biggest clubs. In an April 2026 Champions League quarterfinal, Vincic sent off Real Madrid substitute Eduardo Camavinga for a second yellow card late in extra time with the tie level, and Madrid went on to lose. In November 2025, he sent off Barcelona's Ronald Araujo for two yellow cards in the first half of a Champions League match against Chelsea.