Co-hosts Mexico return to the Mexico City Stadium on Tuesday to face Ecuador in the World Cup Round of 32, looking to extend their tournament run.
Javier Aguirre’s side advanced seamlessly from Group A, but now meet a miserly and unpredictable Ecuador squad that reached the knockout rounds as one of the top third-place finishers. No doubt the Ecuadoreans will be energised by their recent 2–1 victory over Germany, too.
The winner of this all-Latin American matchup will secure a spot in the round of 16 - but who will be doing the officiating?
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Experienced official to referee Mexico vs Ecuador
Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic will take charge of Mexico vs Ecuador, his third game at the 2026 World Cup.
The 46-year-old has already officiated two matches at the tournament: Brazil’s 1-1 draw with Morocco in New Jersey and Algeria's 2-1 win over Jordan.
The experienced Slovenian official is well-accustomed to high-profile fixtures, notably overseeing Real Madrid's 2-0 triumph against Borussia Dortmund in the 2024 Champions League final at Wembley.
He remained heavily involved in elite European club matches this past season, most notably refereeing the thrilling quarter-final second leg where Bayern Munich defeated Real Madrid 4-3.
Chelsea supporters will also recognise him; he was the man in the middle for their 3-0 round-of-16 second-leg defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, as well as their 3-0 victory against Barcelona during the league phase.
While he handed out six yellows and two reds during that hectic Bayern-Real Madrid clash, he typically maintains a more reserved approach.
Across 27 matches refereed since the start of the 2025/26 campaign, tracking data shows he has issued 106 yellow cards and five red cards. This translates to an average of roughly 3.9 bookings per match and a sending-off every five games.
