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Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic has been appointed to officiate Sunday's World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, FIFA, world football's governing body, announced Thursday.
Vincic will be assisted by fellow Slovenians Tomaz Klancnik and Andraz Kovacic, while Jordan's Adham Makhadmeh will serve as the fourth official.
Speaking after learning of the appointment, Vincic described a mix of shock and pride. "So, first of all, a shock. Then happiness. I was shaking, so it's an incredible honor to get the World Cup final," he said. "It's something that ... it's only a dream for a referee, for a young referee when they start. So, I'm very proud, very proud of myself, my team."
Vincic has held FIFA's international referee listing since 2010 and has built a lengthy record in high-profile matches.
He has taken charge of 72 Champions League and Europa League fixtures, including the 2022 Europa League final between Frankfurt and Rangers and the 2024 Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.
He has also officiated at two European Championships and two World Cups. At this year's tournament, Vincic worked group-stage matches between Brazil and Morocco and between Jordan and Algeria, before taking charge of the round-of-32 meeting between Mexico and Ecuador.
In that match, Vincic issued his first red card in 10 major international tournament appearances, sending off Ecuador defender Piero Hincapie after a video assistant referee review, in Mexico's 2-0 win.
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Across his five matches at the current World Cup, Vincic has averaged three yellow cards per game, a rate below the average seen at the 2022 tournament in Qatar but above that of the current edition.
He has shown a willingness to issue red cards in the past, including in both of his fixtures at last summer's Club World Cup.
His officiating drew criticism from Real Madrid following a Champions League quarterfinal defeat to Bayern Munich in April.
Madrid had been leading 3-2 at the Allianz Arena, with the tie level at 4-4 overall and heading toward extra time, when substitute Eduardo Camavinga was shown a second yellow card in the 86th minute for a challenge on Harry Kane.
Players and club officials at the time publicly questioned the decision, arguing the sending-off was harsh given the nature of the challenge.
Mourinho, however, has previously praised Vincic's officiating. After the Slovenian was assigned to referee a Galatasaray-Fenerbahce match in 2025, at a time when Mourinho, then Fenerbahce's manager, had criticized the standard of officiating in the Turkish league, he described Vincic's performance as a leading example, saying he believed the appointment gave the fixture broader international credibility.
Vincic has refereed Spain on four previous occasions, with the team unbeaten in those matches. His only prior game involving Argentina came at the current tournament's opening stage, when Lionel Scaloni's side suffered a surprise 3-2 defeat to Saudi Arabia. Argentina went on to advance from that setback and reach Sunday's final.
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