Slovenian international referee Slavko Vincic officially announced his retirement from refereeing, one week after officiating the final match of the 2026 World Cup between Spain and Argentina.
The Slovenian Football Association said, in a statement on its official website, that Vincic, 49, concluded his refereeing career after a career full of managing many important matches at the European and international levels.
His final season culminated in him being named the Best Referee at the World Cup by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS), and in Italy he also received the prestigious Giulio Campanati Award.
Vincic has been one of the elite referees in the European Football Association (UEFA) since 2019, and has officiated a number of prominent confrontations, including matches in the 2020 European Cup, and the 2024 European Cup semi-final between Spain and Italy.
The Slovenian referee also officiated the 2024 Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, and the 2022 Europa League final between Germany’s Eintracht Frankfurt and Scotland’s Rangers.