Slavko Vincic blew the final whistle on Spain’s World Cup win two weeks ago. He has now blown one on his own career too.

The Slovenian Football Association confirmed his retirement on Sunday, exactly a week after a final that left him at the center of more controversy than most referees would want attached to their name.

"A week after the World Cup final in the USA, Slavko Vincic officially concluded his historic refereeing career at the top of the world."

Why The 2026 World Cup Final Sparked Debate Around Vincic

Vincic showed Enzo Fernandez a second yellow card in the closing minutes of normal time after the Argentina midfielder caught Pau Cubarsi with a reckless challenge. That came just before Ferran Torres won it for Spain in extra time.

Argentina played the whole of extra time with ten men, and Fernandez's dismissal quickly became the biggest talking point after the final whistle. What happened after the final whistle was even uglier than the sending-off itself.

Leandro Paredes threw Gavi to the ground as tempers boiled over, triggering a mass confrontation that FIFA is still investigating.

Gavi has since said he does not want Paredes to be suspended. None of that chaos occurred while Vincic was officiating, but a final this combustible was always going to leave its referee's name attached to the headlines either way.

How Vincic Rose From Qatar 2022 To The 2026 Final

Two matches in Qatar back in 2022 marked his senior World Cup debut, including the game nobody saw coming: Argentina's opening defeat to Saudi Arabia, one of the tournament's great upsets. Four years later, he was trusted with four matches at the 2026 finals.

It was capped by the biggest appointment of all: his sixth World Cup match in total. In between those two World Cups, Vincic built a resume most referees could only dream of.

His biggest assignment came in 2024, when he took charge of the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund at Wembley. He'd started far smaller. Sixth official duties at Euro 2012, a Europa League last-16 tie in 2015.

His Champions League bow came in a Manchester City fixture the following year.

Vincic Ended His Career With Two Major Refereeing Honours

Despite the controversy surrounding the final, Vincic's performances throughout the tournament drew praise from FIFA's refereeing officials, who commended the consistency of his decision-making. The International Federation of Football History and Statistics named him the tournament's best referee.

It credited what it called "clean, authoritative disciplinary control that defines elite officiating."

His performances also earned recognition in Italy, where the referees' association presented him with the Giulio Campanati Award, given to the standout official from that year's World Cup or European Championship.

The Slovenian federation summed up his exit plainly enough: Vincic, they said, had "officially concluded his historic refereeing career at the top of the world." Whatever people make of the final in New Jersey, Vincic retires with the two highest honours available to a football referee, both earned during the final season of his career.