It will forever be one of the most iconic moments in World Cup history. In the 110th minute of the 2006 final, with France and Italy level at 1-1, Zinedine Zidane is sent off for a head-but on Marco Materazzi.

Things has started well enough for the French, with their talisman Zidane scoring from the penalty spot in the 7th minute. Materazzi would level for the Italian’s just 12 minutes later, heading home from Andrea Pirlo’s corner.

Nothing would seperate the teams as they went to extra-time. This is where a remarkable clash saw Zidane headbutt Materazzi and consequently sent off. France clung on with ten men to take the game to penalties, but David Trezeguet would miss from 12 yards, allowing Fabio Grosso to win the game and the World Cup for Italy, who scored all five of their spot-kicks.

Zidane’s actions remain one of the most talked about events in the history of sport. Speaking to Gazzetta about the event 20 years on, referee Horacio Elizondo has revealed what went down when he reached for that infamous red card.

Referee and his Linesman Did Not See Zidane’s Headbutt

While Elizondo was the man who dismissed Zidane, he didn’t actually see the whole incident. Indeed, the Argentine official was watching play further up the field, when the Frenchman clashed with Materazzi off the ball. The moment was actually spotted by fourth official Medina Cantalejo.

In the days without VAR, Elizondo had to put total faith in his team to come to the final verdict. He explained what went down:

He then revealed that he was actually pretending to chat with his assistant about the call, even though they both hadn’t seen the headbutt, but were going to send Zidane off after the fourth official’s recommendation: “I started talking to the assistant, pretending that he knew something. I wanted to make this ‘acting’ to make people understand [we were making a decision]. I told him: ‘Ten minutes to go, remain focused.’ Then I turned and gave the red card to Zidane.”

Elizondo understood that he had made a huge decision and probably expected a very strong response from Zidane. However, the Frenchman was at peace with the call, making little fuss as he left the pitch, but was keen to note that he had been provoked by Materazzi. The referee recalled their conversation:

Zidane appeared to be talking about Materazzi’s actions when he asked the referee, ‘didn’t you hear or see what happened before?’’ The Italian later claimed that he had made a comment about his opponent’s sister, stating:

“That episode should never have happened. In the tension of that final in Berlin, amidst the bickering and insults, Zidane offered me his shirt, and I said no, that I preferred his sister.”

Zidane later apologised for his actions, although did not regret what he did: “I want to ask for forgiveness from all the children who watched that. There was no excuse for it. I want to be open and honest about it. I do apologise but I don’t regret my behaviour because regretting it would mean he was right to say what he said.”

This would be the last game of Zidane’s career, exiting the game with a bang.

Kobbie Mainoo has endured a frustrating World Cup. The Manchester United midfielder didn’t feature in any of England’s seven matches before the Three Lions came up short to Argentina in the semi-finals.

According to David Ornstein, Mainoo’s disappointment has been visible for all to see, with the 21-year-old often spotted leaving stadiums before his teammates, headphones on and alone.

There had been genuine hope of Mainoo being involved, with him training in midfield alongside Elliot Anderson ahead of the group game against Ghana, only for Thomas Tuchel to reportedly not like what he saw from the player in that session.

Now, with England set to play in Saturday’s third-place play-off against France, Nicky Butt has offered a strong opinion on what Mainoo should do next.

Butt Tells Mainoo to Fake Injury Rather Than Play

The Manchester United legend was blunt in his words when discussing Mainoo’s situation. Per The Sun, he said: “I do not know what is going on there, there’s something not quite right with it.”

Many fans and pundits believe a third-place playoff is totally meaningless. Whichever sides play in the fixture saw their World Cup fall short, just one step away from the biggest game in football, so to think a further fixture then has to be played, purely to determine who finishes third, is hardly a reward.

For that reason, many nations who find themselves in this position turn to some of their lesser-used players to feature, such as Mainoo, giving their first-choice names a well-earned rest and settling the nerves of their club managers in the process.

Butt Calls for Tuchel to be Sacked After Semi-Final Exit

Dylan Martinez via Reuters

Butt didn’t stop at Mainoo’s treatment, also demanding Tuchel’s dismissal following England’s negative approach in their semi-final defeat to Argentina.

He’s not a Sir Bobby Robson or Kevin Keegan, someone that the nation loves. You’re talking about a manager that’s come in and played negative football, crazy negative football, in the semi-final against a beatable Argentina team. And it shouldn’t really matter, but people will go against him because he’s German as well, so he’s going to have a nightmare.”

Butt believes Tuchel himself will be ready to walk away regardless of what the FA decides. “He’s an unbelievable club manager, so just let him go,” he added. “He won’t want to stay. He might say he does, but deep down he’ll be thinking, ‘pay up, I’m out of here’. If we were nine months down the line, I’d definitely be going for Pep Guardiola. But Pep can’t leave Man City a month ago, saying he needs a rest from football, and then go straight back in. He can’t do that.”

Butt instead pointed to Eddie Howe and Mauricio Pochettino as the standout alternatives, but both would need to be prized away from their current roles with Newcastle and the United States respectively.

The World Cup final is set and Spain will play Argentina to decide who lifts the famous trophy. With a month of action behind us, fans don’t have to wait long for the biggest showpiece in sport, which takes place on Sunday, July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

FIFA has now confirmed the team of officials who will run the rule over the match, with protocol dictating that such teams are appointed round by round, confirming only once fixtures are set, a few days before kick-off.

Here’s everything you need to know about the referee, his team of officials and the selection process.

World Cup 2026 Final Referee

Slavko Vincic has been selected as the referee for the 2026 World Cup final. The news was confirmed by FIFA a few days ahead of the match.

Vincic has refereed three matches at the 2026 World Cup, including the Group C game between Brazil and Morocco, the Group J game between Jordan and Algeria, and the Round of 32 tie between Mexico and Ecuador.

Across three games, he showed seven yellow cards and one red card.

Vincic, who hails from Slovenia, will be the first person from his country to take charge of a World Cup final. Following the announcement, Vincic revealed that he was shocked by the news, which was relayed to him by FIFA referee chief Pierluigi Collina, but said that it was “an incredible honour”.

“It’s something that is a dream for a referee, for a young referee when they start,” he told FIFA’s official website. “So, I’m very proud, very proud of myself, my team.”

Vincic’s appointment has prompted a divided response, with some supporters reacting negatively to the news.

World Cup 2026 Final Match Officials

REUTERS/Eloisa Sanchez via Action Images

Vincic will be assisted during the World Cup final by a team of officials hailing from Slovenia and Jordan.

Tomaz Klancnik and Andraz Kovacic will run the lines as assistant referees, while Adham Makhadmeh will serve as the fourth official.

How Referees are Chosen

For the 2026 tournament, FIFA named the largest cohort of officials in World Cup history — with referees, assistant referees and video match officials.

An extended competition with more games than ever required more help and the selection process has reportedly spanned over three years under Chief Refereeing Officer Pierluigi Collina and Director of Refereeing Massimo Busacca.

“It’s a long process. There are many pieces of the puzzle, but they have had to be combined all together to get the picture of the final referee, and it’s something that goes (on) through the competition,” Collina said in an interview with the official FIFA website.

“Of course, the performances are [what] matter the most. Of course, the matches they refereed before, also the fact that his team is not playing (in) this competition, but mainly performances. At the end of the day, it’s what really matters.”

Drawn from all six confederations, there is a strong world representation. As mentioned, no referee can manage their country and matches are awarded ahead of time, but only a few days in advance for knockout ties.

Performances are reviewed — with some games, such as the France-Paraguay clash, needing more analysis than others — and strong group stage efforts can result in knockout games. Neutrality, fitness and performance under pressure will all feed towards the final decision.