Slavko Vincic to referee Mexico vs Ecuador in World Cup Round of 32

Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic will officiate Mexico vs Ecuador in the 2026 World Cup Round of 32 on Tuesday at the Mexico City Stadium, marking his third assignment at this year’s tournament.

The 46-year-old has already handled two matches in the competition: Brazil’s 1-1 draw with Morocco in New Jersey and Algeria’s 2-1 win over Jordan. Vincic is one of the most experienced officials in world football, best known internationally for refereeing Real Madrid’s 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the 2024 Champions League final at Wembley.

His involvement in elite fixtures continued into the most recent European season. He took charge of the quarter-final second leg in which Bayern Munich defeated Real Madrid 4-3 — a match in which he issued six yellow cards and two red cards, though his general approach tends to be more measured.

Across 27 matches since the start of the 2025/26 campaign, Vincic has shown 106 yellow cards and five red cards, averaging roughly 3.9 bookings per game and a sending-off once every five matches.

Chelsea supporters will recognise his name from two contrasting nights in the Champions League this season: he refereed their 3-0 round-of-16 second-leg defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, as well as their 3-0 victory against Barcelona in the league phase.

On the pitch, co-hosts Mexico qualified from Group A without difficulty under Javier Aguirre and will carry home support into the tie. Ecuador, meanwhile, reached the knockout rounds as one of the best third-place finishers and arrive with momentum after a 2-1 win over Germany. The winner advances to the Round of 16.