Slovenia
Central European EU/NATO state of 2.1 million; home nation of the World Cup final's referee.
Slovenia's Slavko Vincic refereed Sunday's World Cup final between Spain and Argentina on 19 July, with two fellow Slovenian officials as his assistants, the country's only involvement in a tournament it did not qualify for as a team.
Last refreshed: 21 July 2026
How did a country of 2.1 million come to referee the World Cup final?
Timeline for Slovenia
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2026 FIFA World CupSlavko Vincic to referee the final
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Russia-Ukraine War 2026Background
Slovenia declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991 and has since built one of the smoother post-Yugoslav transitions in the region: a parliamentary republic of roughly 2.1 million people, capital Ljubljana, with a 46.6km Adriatic coastline between Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia.
It joined the EU and NATO in 2004 and adopted the euro in 2007, anchoring it firmly within Western European institutions despite its small size.
A country this size supplying a World Cup final referee reflects strength in officiating rather than in the national team: Slovenia's football federation has produced internationally rated match officials, keeping the country in the frame at football's biggest occasions even when its players are not on the pitch.
Slovenia supplies the final's referee
FIFA appointed Slavko Vincic to referee the Spain-Argentina final on 17 July, with two fellow Slovenian officials as his assistants and Jordan's Adham Makhadmeh as fourth official, giving the match a crew with no stake in either finalist . The appointment continued FIFA's recent pattern of drawing World Cup final referees from its elite panel rather than the game's traditional big-five leagues, as in 2018 and 2022.
It passed without the controversy trailing FIFA's disciplinary decisions elsewhere in the tournament, and stands as Slovenia's only substantive presence in the 2026 competition: the national team did not qualify, so the country's World Cup was defined by officiating rather than playing .