Al-Marri will be the VAR referee in the World Cup final

FIFA has announced the appointment of Qatari referee Khamis Al-Marri as an assistant VAR (Video Assistant Referee) for the 2026 FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, scheduled for Sunday at MetLife Stadium in New York City. FIFA's refereeing department had previously revealed the officiating crew for the final, with Slovenian referee Slavko Vinčić as the main referee, assisted by his compatriots Tomaž Klanić and Andrijaz Kovačić. Jordanian referee Adham Makhadmeh will serve as the fourth official, while his compatriot Mohammed Al-Kallaf will be the reserve assistant referee. Vinčić is a highly experienced referee, having officiated several high-profile matches in European and international football. He was one of the referees at Euro 2020 and also officiated the 2022 Europa League final between Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers. Two years later, he officiated the 2024 Champions League final between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid. He was also a referee at Euro 2024, where he officiated several matches, including the semi-final between France and Spain. The Slovenian is participating in his second World Cup, having also officiated two matches at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. In the current tournament, Vinčić officiated the group stage matches between Brazil and Morocco, and Jordan and Algeria, followed by the Round of 32 match between Mexico and Ecuador.