Argentina are all set to take on Spain in the final of the FIFA World Cup 2026 to be held at the New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19 (Sunday). This will be a massive game for Argentina as they would aim to become only the second team to win back-to-back World Cups, and Lionel Messi will become the first captain to do so. However, the selection of the referee has definitely caused some headaches in the La Albacieste camp.
Ahead of the highly anticipated match, FIFA Referees Committee chairman Pierluigi Collina announced the appointment of 46-year-old Slovenian official Slavko Vincic as the head referee. This decision marks a historic milestone, as Vincic becomes the first Slovenian referee to oversee a World Cup final.
Argentina’s Boogeyman
For Argentina, this might be a cause for huge concern. Vincic has officiated only one Argentina match so far, and that resulted in one of the most shocking upsets in history. Lionel Messi’s team was defeated 2-1 by Saudi Arabia in the FIFA World Cup 2022.
Vincic’s presence however, was not at all controversial. In fact, he awarded a penalty to Argentina, which Lionel Messi converted to give them an early lead. In fact, he fouled as many as 8 Saudi players for challenges.
This loss was the last time Argentina were defeated in a FIFA World Cup Match. This is also the game where Argentina lost their 36-match undefeated streak in international football.
Advantage Spain
On the other hand, Slavko Vincic has overseen some of the biggest games for Spain, and have been part of some of their biggest victories. He first took charge of a Spain game in a 2017 friendly match against Colombia. The first competitive game that he officiated was the Euro 2020 group stage encounter between Spain and Sweden.
He was the referee when Spain defeated Italy in the UEFA Nations League 2023 semi-final. Since the teen sensation Lamine Yamal broke into te Spain squad, Slavko Vincic has officiated games where Spain beat Italy 1-0 in the Euro 2024 group stages, and the famous 2-1 win vs France in the semi-final of the continental tournament.
Hence, while Argentina have faced their worst defeat in recent times when Vincic officiated, Spain have had some of their biggest wins.
