Slovenian referee Vincic to officiate World Cup final between Spain and Argentina

Emotional moment during the announcement

For Vincic, this is the first World Cup final of his career. At the ongoing tournament, he is already taking charge of his fourth match. Previously, he officiated the round of 16 between host nation Mexico and Ecuador, which the Mexicans won 2-0. He was also the man in charge during the group stage matches between Brazil and Morocco (1:1) and between Jordan and Algeria (1:2).

Vincic's path to the final

Vincic brings plenty of experience with top-level matches. His biggest match to date was the 2024 Champions League final in London between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, which the Madrileños won 2-0. With the nomination for the World Cup final, the biggest stage world football has to offer now awaits him – the duel between Spain and Argentina in East Rutherford.

Experience from the Champions League

On the sideline or in the video assistance center, Bastian Dankert will follow the action. The 46-year-old referee from Rostock has been assigned as video assistant and can therefore support the Slovenian referee via radio. For Dankert, this is already his second World Cup final: in 2022 in Qatar, the family man was part of the then VAR reserve team.

Dankert on board as VAR

Dankert has been refereeing Bundesliga matches for 14 years and, according to DFB referee chief Knut Kircher, ranks among the best German officials. "Bastian is a globally recognized VAR with many years of top-level experience and also a good working relationship with Vincic," Kircher explained. Dankert has been deployed as a video referee at every major tournament since 2018.

Praise from the DFB

Before the tournament kickoff in the USA, Dankert himself had said: "Should I really be on this stage again this year, that would of course be an absolute dream." With the nomination for the final, this dream is now becoming reality. Kircher added: "We are very happy for him and proud that our colors are also represented in the World Cup final."

A dream comes true

The staffing underscores FIFA's international approach when filling key roles. Vincic represents Slovenia, Dankert Germany – and with Collina as the top referee boss, an Italian heads the committee. The final on Sunday evening in East Rutherford promises to be a global event not only in sporting terms, but also in terms of personnel.

For the other officials in the final, too, it is a special honor. FIFA deliberately made the announcement in a personal setting in order to capture the emotional moment – which visibly succeeded with Vincic. The images of his tears quickly went around the world and show how much pressure and passion lie behind the job of a top-level referee.