Slavko Vinčić (born 25 November 1979) is a Slovenian former football referee. He was an international-listed referee for FIFA from 2010 to 2026. In Europe, Vinčić oversaw 72 matches for UEFA, including competitions for both the Champions League and Europa League. He refereed two UEFA European Championships and two FIFA World Cups from 2020 to 2026. Vinčić refereed the 2026 World Cup final.
Career Vinčić's first major competition was UEFA Euro 2012 where he was one of the two additional assistants in the team of Damir Skomina.
He officiated the 2020–21 Champions League quarterfinal between Porto and Chelsea, and the 2020–21 Europa League semifinal between Arsenal and Villarreal.
Vinčić was selected as a match official for Euro 2020, where he was assigned two group stage matches and the quarterfinals clash between Italy and Belgium.
In 2022, he was selected to officiate the 2022 UEFA Europa League final between Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers.
On 13 May 2024, Vinčić was selected by UEFA to officiate for the 2024 UEFA Champions League final between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid.
On 24 February 2025, he was the referee for the Turkish Super League fixture at Rams Park between Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray. The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) requested that a foreign official like Vinčić referee the game after local criticism was brought forward by both clubs and Fenerbahçe coach José Mourinho.
In April 2025, Vinčić was selected to officiate at 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in United States. In a goalless draw between River Plate and Monterrey, Vinčić issued nine yellow cards and a red card for Kevin Castaño, who was already on a yellow card.
Vinčić officiated four matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In a match between Mexico and Ecuador, he issued a red card to Piero Hincapié for covering his mouth while talking to an opposing player in a confrontation. On 16 July 2026, Vinčić was selected to officiate the 2026 FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina. Vinčić is the first Slovenian to referee a World Cup final and was joined by two Slovenian assistant referees. An ESPN analysis found that Vinčić issued three yellow cards per game on average, below the rate found among referees in the previous World Cup. During the final, Vinčic showed six yellow cards and sent off Argentinian player Enzo Fernández for a second bookable offense.
He was named that year's best World Cup referee by the IFFHS. Shortly after the World Cup, Vinčić retired from international refereeing on 26 July 2026.
Selected international matches refereed UEFA Euro 2020 – Multiple hosts Date Match Venue Location Round Result Yellow cards Red cards 14 June 2021 – Estadio de La Cartuja Seville Group stage 0–0 1 0 20 June 2021 – Olympic Stadium Baku Group stage 3–1 4 0 2 July 2021 – Allianz Arena Munich Quarter-finals 1–2 3 0 2022 FIFA World Cup – Qatar Date Match Venue Location Round Result Yellow cards Red cards 22 November 2022 – Lusail Stadium Lusail Group stage 1–2 6 0 29 November 2022 – Ahmad bin Ali Stadium Al Rayyan Group stage 0–3 2 0 UEFA Euro 2024 – Germany Date Match Venue Location Round Result Yellow cards Red cards 15 June 2024 – RheinEnergieStadion Cologne Group stage 1–3 5 0 20 June 2024 – Arena AufSchalke Gelsenkirchen Group stage 1–0 5 0 9 July 2024 – Allianz Arena Munich Semi finals 2–1 4 0 2026 FIFA World Cup – Canada / United States / Mexico Date Match Venue Location Round Result Yellow cards Red cards 13 June 2026 – MetLife Stadium East Rutherford Group stage 1–1 2 0 22 June 2026 – Levi's Stadium Santa Clara Group stage 1–2 2 0 30 June 2026 – Estadio Azteca Mexico City Round of 32 2–0 3 1 19 July 2026 – MetLife Stadium East Rutherford Final 1–0 7 1
Major club matches refereed +DateMatchTournamentVenueResultRef18 May 2022Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Rangers2022 UEFA Europa League finalEstadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville1–1 a.e.t. (5–4 on penalties)1 June 2024Borussia Dortmund vs. Real Madrid2024 UEFA Champions League finalWembley Stadium, London0–2
See also
List of football referees
References