The French national football team, affectionately known as “Les bleus,” has learned the identity of the referee who will officiate their crucial 2026 World Cup qualifier against Ukraine on Thursday. UEFA announced Tuesday that Slovenian official Slavko Vincic will take the whistle for this pivotal Group D match in the European zone qualifiers.
This marks the sixth time the 45-year-old native of Maribor will oversee a match involving the French squad, and the third time since the Euro 2024 tournament. While Vincic’s presence might not evoke the fondest memories for French fans, as he refereed the Euro 2024 semi-final where France fell to Spain 2-1 on July 9, 2024, the match itself was not marred by controversial officiating decisions, largely overshadowed by the dazzling performance of Spain’s Lamine yamal.
Since that disappointment, Vincic has crossed paths with Les Bleus once more. He was the man in charge during the Nations League fixture on November 17, 2024, where Didier Deschamps’ side secured a 3-1 victory against Italy at the San Siro, a game highlighted by a brace from midfielder Adrien Rabiot.
A Familiar Fixture: France vs.Ukraine
Interestingly, this will not be the first time Vincic has refereed a match between Ukraine and France. Their previous encounter was on September 4, 2021, also a World Cup qualifier. At the Olympic Stadium in kyiv, France, featuring Karim Benzema as a substitute, drew 1-1 despite an equalizer from Anthony Martial in the second half. This result occurred during a challenging period for the French team, which saw them go five consecutive matches without a win.
The two othre matches where Slavko Vincic has officiated France have both ended in victories for Les Bleus: an notable 4-0 win against Armenia on October 8, 2015, and a 2-0 away victory in Albania on November 11, 2019.
This season, Vincic has not yet been assigned to a European club competition match involving a French team. However, in the 2024-2025 campaign, he did oversee the Champions League semi-final first leg where PSG triumphed over Arsenal 1-0, and he also refereed Lille’s commanding 6-1 victory against Feyenoord Rotterdam in the group stage.
On Thursday at the Parc des Princes, Vincic will be supported by a team of three fellow Slovenian officials on the pitch: Messrs. Klancnik, Kovacic, and Obrenovic. The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) duties will be handled by a German duo, Bastian Dankert and Benjamin Brand.
