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Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic retires after officiating 2026 World Cup final
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Slavko Vincic, the 46-year-old Slovenian referee, has officially ended his refereeing career, as announced by the Football Association of Slovenia. His final match was the 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina in East Rutherford, making him the first Slovenian head referee to officiate a World Cup final. Vincic's career included officiating the 2022 Champions League final, the 2024 Champions League final, multiple European Championships, and numerous high-profile club matches. He was named the best referee of the World Cup by the IFFHS and received the Giulio Campanati Award. Vincic began his FIFA international career in 2010 and was promoted to the UEFA Elite Referees group in 2019.
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Hupu July 27 News — The Football Association of Slovenia has officially announced that 46-year-old Slovenian referee Slavko Vinčić has ended his refereeing career, making the 2026 World Cup final the last match he officiated.
One week after the conclusion of the World Cup final in the United States, Vinčić brought his brilliant and historic career to a close. The referee from Maribor became the first Slovenian head referee to officiate a World Cup final, taking charge of the 2026 final between Spain and Argentina in East Rutherford, cementing his status as one of the greatest referees in history. At the end of his farewell season, the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) named him the best referee of the World Cup, and he also received the prestigious Giulio Campanati Award in Italy.
Early Career and Rise
Slavko Vinčić was born on November 25, 1979, in Maribor, and was added to the FIFA international referees list in 2010.
- Euro 2012: Participated as an additional assistant referee and officiated the quarterfinal between Greece and Germany as part of the Slovenian refereeing team.
- 2013: Officiated the final stage of the U17 European Championship in Slovakia, participating through to the semifinals.
- 2015: Made his debut in European knockout matches as head referee for the Europa League round of 32 match between Guingamp and Dynamo Kyiv.
- 2016: Officiated Sparta Prague vs. Krasnodar in the same stage, and took charge of the Rome derby between Lazio and Roma.
At Euro 2016, Vinčić again joined the Slovenian refereeing team led by Damir Skomina as an additional assistant referee. That same year, he made his Champions League debut as a head referee in the match between Manchester City and Celtic. He began regularly officiating Champions League matches and was promoted to the UEFA Elite Referees group at the end of 2019.
He also officiated the U17 World Cup in India (2017), the U21 European Championship in Poland, and the U20 World Cup in Poland (2019).
2021–2022: Major Milestones
In 2021, Vinčić officiated:
- Champions League quarterfinal: Porto vs. Chelsea
- Europa League semifinal second leg: Arsenal vs. Villarreal
- Three matches at Euro 2020, including the quarterfinal between Belgium and Italy
He participated in Europa League final officiating in 2017, 2021, and 2022:
- 2017: Additional assistant referee for the final between Ajax and Manchester United in Stockholm
- 2021: Fourth official for French referee Clément Turpin in the final between Manchester United and Villarreal in Gdańsk
- May 18, 2022: Officiated the Europa League final between Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers in Seville
In 2022, his Champions League assignments included:
- Round of 16 first leg: Benfica vs. Ajax
- Round of 16 second leg: Manchester United vs. Atlético Madrid
- Quarterfinal second leg: Bayern Munich vs. Villarreal
- Fourth official in semifinal first leg: Liverpool vs. Villarreal
In June 2022, he officiated the World Cup intercontinental playoff between Australia and Peru in Qatar.
The new European season began with Champions League qualifying playoffs (Qarabag vs. Viktoria Plzeň in Baku). In autumn, he officiated four Champions League matches:
- Tottenham Hotspur vs. Marseille
- Inter Milan vs. Barcelona
- Rangers vs. Liverpool
- Sporting CP vs. Eintracht Frankfurt
He also officiated the Nations League match between Germany and Hungary in Leipzig.
As one of 11 top referees selected by UEFA for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Vinčić officiated:
- Group stage: Argentina vs. Saudi Arabia
- Group stage: England vs. Wales
- Fourth official: Brazil vs. South Korea (round of 16)
The IFFHS ranked him the seventh-best referee in the world for 2022.
2023: Continued Excellence
In the 2023 European knockout stages, Vinčić officiated:
- Europa League knockout playoff second leg: Roma vs. Salzburg (Rome)
- Champions League round of 16: Manchester City vs. RB Leipzig
- Europa League semifinal second leg: Bayer Leverkusen vs. Roma (Germany)
In summer 2023, during the third edition of the Nations League finals in the Netherlands, he officiated the semifinal between Spain and Italy in Enschede.
Euro 2024 qualifiers:
- Poland vs. Albania (Warsaw, spring)
- Romania vs. Israel (Bucharest, September)
- Ukraine vs. North Macedonia (Prague, October)
- Friendly: Austria vs. Germany (Vienna, November)
By that time, Vinčić had officiated 28 Champions League matches. In the 2023/24 season, he officiated:
- Champions League qualifying playoff: Young Boys vs. Maccabi Haifa (Bern)
- Group stage: Lazio vs. Atlético Madrid
- Group stage: Paris Saint-Germain vs. AC Milan
- Group stage final round: Napoli vs. Braga
2024: Champions League Final and Euro 2024
In spring 2024, Vinčić officiated:
- Champions League round of 16 second leg: Bayern Munich vs. Lazio
- Quarterfinal: Borussia Dortmund vs. Atlético Madrid
- June 1: Champions League final between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid in London
At his fourth European Championship, Vinčić served as a head referee for Euro 2024. Previously, he had been a goal-line additional assistant referee at Euro 2012 and Euro 2016, and a head referee at Euro 2020.
During Euro 2024 in Germany, he officiated:
- Group stage: Hungary vs. Switzerland (Cologne)
- Group stage: Spain vs. Italy (Gelsenkirchen)
- Semifinal: Spain vs. France (Munich)
In December 2024, at the 38th annual IFFHS awards ceremony, Vinčić was ranked the second-best referee in the world.
2025: Final Season
In the Champions League league phase, Vinčić officiated:
- Monaco vs. Aston Villa
- Lille vs. Feyenoord
In the spring knockout stages:
- Knockout playoff: PSV Eindhoven vs. Juventus
- Second leg: Bayer Leverkusen vs. Bayern Munich
- Quarterfinal: Inter Milan vs. Bayern Munich
- Semifinal: Arsenal vs. Paris Saint-Germain
After officiating the Nations League quarterfinal between Portugal and Denmark, he officiated the Nations League finals semifinal for the second time in his career (following 2023), serving as head referee for Germany vs. Portugal.
At the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, he officiated:
- Group stage: River Plate vs. Monterrey (Los Angeles region)
- Round of 16: Benfica vs. Chelsea (Charlotte)
He also became the first foreign referee in history to officiate in the Turkish Süper Lig, taking charge of Galatasaray vs. Fenerbahçe.
Autumn Champions League matches:
- Atlético Madrid vs. Eintracht Frankfurt
- Real Madrid vs. Juventus
- Chelsea vs. Barcelona
- Benfica vs. Napoli
2026 World Cup European qualifiers:
- France vs. Ukraine
- Netherlands vs. Finland
- Israel vs. Italy
2026: Final Matches
In the Champions League, Vinčić officiated:
- Knockout playoff: Real Madrid vs. Benfica
- Round of 16: Chelsea vs. Paris Saint-Germain
- Quarterfinal second leg: Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid
He also officiated the European playoff for the 2026 World Cup between Sweden and Poland.
Source: Football Association of Slovenia Official Website
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虎扑 - 足球Regional
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Slovenian Referee Slavko Vincic Appointed for 2026 World Cup Final