Slovenian referee Slavko Vinčić has officially announced his retirement from officiating at the age of 46, bringing an end to a distinguished career that concluded with the 2026 FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina.
The Slovenian Football Association confirmed the decision in an official statement, saying Vinčić had "officially concluded his historic refereeing career at the pinnacle of world football" just one week after taking charge of the World Cup final in the United States.
Vinčić was named the best referee of the 2026 FIFA World Cup by both the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) and the Italian Referees Association (AIA), which awarded him the Giulio Campanati Prize.
A member of UEFA's elite refereeing group since 2019, Vinčić also officiated at UEFA Euro 2020 and the Euro 2024 semi-final between Spain and Italy.
During the 2026 World Cup, he was appointed to officiate four matches, including the tournament's final.
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