Who is World Cup final referee? Spain vs Argentina official oversaw shock defeat for holders

For Spain, they are bidding for a second Euros and World Cup double, 16 years on from achieving the feat.As such, the holders are seeking to become only the third nation ever to win back-to-back World Cups, following the Italy team of 1934 and 1938, and the great Brazil outfit of 1958 and 1962.Spain and Argentina have a long - and perhaps friendly - history, though they’ve only met twice in September 2010, trading 4-1 and 6-1 wins respectively.Who is World Cup final referee?Slovenia’s Slavko Vincic will take charge of the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina.He will be assisted on Sunday by fellow Slovenian’s Tomaz Klancnik and Andraz Kovacic, with Jordan’s Adham Mohammad Tumah Makhadmeh serving as the fourth official. Mohammad Alkalaf - also of Jordan - will be the reserve assistant.Vincic has been an international-listed referee for FIFA since 2010 and his first major competition was Euro 2012 where he was one of the two additional assistants in Damir Skomina’s team.Upon receiving news that he had been selected to oversee the biggest match in football, Vincic cut an emotional figure before being embraced by his peers and then FIFA president Gianni Infantino.Vincic has officiated plenty of European fixtures, meaning the majority of Spain and Argentina players should be well aware of his refereeing style.For example, Nicolas Otamendi will be most familiar with the Slovenian having been shown a yellow card by the 46-year-old during Benfica’s Champions League clash against Real Madrid last season.Sunday’s final between Spain and Argentina will be the fourth game Vincic has taken charge of at the World Cup 2026.Read MoreVincic was the referee for the group stage draw between Brazil and Morocco as well as Algeria’s win over tournament debutants Jordan. He also took charge of Mexico’s round of 32 win over Ecuador, showing Arsenal defender Piero Hincapie a red card for covering his mouth when speaking to an opponent.Vincic’s appointment could be a lucky charm for Spain. Dating all the way back to June 2017, in the five games the Slovenian has overseen, La Roja are unbeaten.Slavko Vincic has previously managed Spain in a major international tournamentGettyIn fact, Spain have won their last three matches in a row with the 46-year-old in charge, most recently a semi-final success over France at Euro 2024 where he showed a yellow card to Yamal.On the other hand, the one and only Argentina game Vincic has refereed is rather significant, with it being the last World Cup match in which the Albiceleste lost.En route to be crowned world champions four years ago, Argentina began their campaign with a shock 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia and this was despite taking the lead through a Messi penalty.