Slovenian Referee Slavko Vincic Retires After Stellar Career
Slavko Vincic's Retirement Announcement
File image of Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic(Photo: @TheVarVerdictHQ/X)
New Delhi, July 27: Slavko Vincic, the Slovenian referee who officiated the FIFA World Cup 2026 final between Spain and Argentina, has decided to retire from his refereeing career.
In a fitting conclusion to his final season, the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) recognized him as the best referee of the World Cup, and he was honored with the prestigious Giulio Campanati Award in Italy.
At 46 years old, Vincic made his World Cup debut in Qatar, where he officiated two matches, and added three more during the 2026 tournament. The final marked his sixth World Cup match overall and his fourth in this edition.
His career highlights include officiating the 2024 UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium, a significant achievement for any European referee. He has also been involved in UEFA European Championship matches, World Cup qualifiers, the UEFA Europa League, UEFA Nations League, and the FIFA Club World Cup.
Born in Maribor on November 25, 1979, Vincic served as the sixth referee at the 2012 European Championship, where the Slovenian team reached the quarter-finals against Greece and Germany.
In 2013, he officiated the final tournament of the European Under-17 Championship in Slovakia, reaching the semi-finals, and in 2015, he refereed his first knockout stage match in European competitions during the Europa League round of 16 between Guingamp and Dynamo Kiev.
During EURO 2016, he assisted the Slovenian team led by Damir Skomina as the sixth referee, and he made his debut as a referee in the Champions League during the final round of the 2016 group stage in a match between Manchester City and Celtic. Since then, he has consistently officiated Champions League matches and was included in the elite group of European referees by the end of 2019.
His extensive experience spans all levels of international football. He officiated at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in India in 2017, the UEFA Under-21 European Championship in Poland, and the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2019 before making his senior FIFA World Cup debut in Qatar in 2022. There, he oversaw Argentina's unexpected group-stage loss to Saudi Arabia, leading to his ultimate honor of refereeing the 2026 final.
In club football's top competition, he made his UEFA Champions League refereeing debut during the 2016 group stage and has overseen 72 matches across UEFA's premier club tournaments. His most significant assignment came in 2024 when he officiated the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.