A week after officiating the 2026 World Cup final, Slovenian referee Slavko retired

Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic officially announced his retirement after only one week of officiating the final match of the 2026 World Cup.
The 46-year-old referee was widely criticized for being lenient with the Argentine national team’s rough playing style during the match that ended with Spain’s 1-0 win after extending to extra time in the World Cup final, as the confrontation witnessed the expulsion of Chelsea and Argentine national team midfielder Enzo Fernandez in stoppage time of the second half.
The Slovenian Football Federation confirmed in an official statement that a week after the World Cup final, which took place in the United States, Canada and Mexico, Vincic closed the curtain on his refereeing career.
Despite the criticism, Vincic received the award for the best referee in the World Cup from the International Federation of History and Statistics, in addition to the Italian Referees Association, which awards the Giulio Campanati Award, which is designated for the best referee in the World Cup or the European Nations Cup.
The Slovenian referee has been a member of the elite referees of the European Football Association (UEFA) since 2019, where he officiated matches in Euro 2020 and the semi-finals of Euro 2024 between Spain and Italy.
The Slovenian referee officiated four matches in the 2026 World Cup, most notably Brazil’s confrontation with Morocco in Group C, and Mexico’s victory over Ecuador with two unanswered goals in the round of 16, a match that saw him expel Ecuadorian defender Piero Hincapie for putting his hand over his mouth while talking to a Mexican player according to the new rules applied in the tournament.
Vincic also managed the 2024 Champions League final, which witnessed Real Madrid winning the 15th title at the expense of Borussia Dortmund with two clean goals, in addition to his management of the 2022 Europa League final between Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers, and he was present as the fourth referee in the 2021 final between Villarreal and Manchester United. He was also selected in 2025 as the first foreign referee to officiate the Turkish League summit between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce at the request of the two clubs.