Szymon Marciniak knows FIFA’s decision regarding the final. Most important role revealed!

In recent weeks, Polish fans could have secretly hoped that a story that had never happened before in the history of the World Cup would happen. Szymon Marciniak is a valued referee, and his presence in the USA almost until the very end of the World Cup gave arguments for considering the Pole to play an important role in the matches for the tournament’s medals.

However, this did not happen. The FIFA Referees Commission appointed referees to officiate the most important World Cup matches, but there was not a single Pole among them. And the biggest winner can be declared Slavko Vincic.

Szymon Marciniak will not be a judge in the final! FIFA surprised with its choice

In the case of the Slovenian, the most recent associations of Polish fans may concern… the lost play-off against Sweden (2:3). Vincić was not a man there who could be given an exceptionally high mark for the work he had done.

However, choices related to referees in key matches of large tournaments are often made somewhat contrary to the seemingly rational arguments circulating around.

“Szymon Marciniak was treated strangely at this tournament. He was supposed to referee the quarter-final, then the semi-final and at the end we thought it was either something historic or a match for 3rd place. Ultimately, the final went to Slovenian Slavko Vincic and the match for 3rd place to Venezuelan Jesus Valenzuela. Szymon Marciniak trained in Miami and waited 19 days for the match in the knockout phase. Tomorrow he will probably return to Poland. Marciniak finished the World Cup with two matches in hand: Argentina vs. Algeria and Egypt vs. Iran,” said Mateusz Borek, a well-known journalist and commentator on the X website.

In fact, Marciniak ends the tournament with two group matches played. Both matches were full of controversies, but they were quickly assessed – positively for the Pole – by the FIFA Referees’ Committee. Pierluigi Collina, however, did not decide to bet on his “favorite”, as the Polish referee is called in the eyes of the Italian legend.

And why not Marciniak? In addition to the previously mentioned issues, which do not necessarily always concern only the sports aspect, we must remember about the composition of the World Cup finals. The presence of Argentina and the fact that the Pole had already led the Albiceleste match, making a widely commented decision regarding Lionel Messi, could also have had an impact.

Certainly, the greatest regret is the missed opportunity to make history in the World Championships – leading the World Cup finals twice. No referee in the world has ever done such a feat.

It is worth recalling that Szymon Marciniak was not the first Polish referee present in the grand final of the World Cup (2022 World Cup). Michał Listkiewicz had previously achieved this feat when he was a linesman in the final battle of the 1990 World Cup. The Pole was one of the three judges at the stadium in Rome, where West Germany won against Argentina 1-0.

World Cup 2026. Where and when to watch the greatest football World Cup in history?

From June 11 to July 19, the 23rd FIFA World Cup will be held on pitches in three countries – the United States, Mexico and Canada. An event that will certainly be unique, if only because of its format. For the first time in history, as many as 48 teams took part in the main tournament.

The title from four years ago is defended by the Argentines. During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Messi and company defeated the French in the final, winning after a series of penalties (4:2). In the history of football World Cups, Brazil has the most titles – as many as five. Four victories in the history of the World Championships belong to the Italians and Germans. The Argentines won three times. More than once, the trophy for winning the World Cup was raised – twice – by the players of France and Uruguay.

The Polish national team was third twice at the World Championships, but those were the old days – we are talking about the events in 1974 and 1982. At the last World Cup, Poles managed to advance to the knockout phase, but were eliminated in the 1/8 finals by the French (1:3).

Matches of the 2026 World Cup can only be watched on Polish Television – on TVP Sport, TVP 1 and TVP 2 and on tvpsport.pl. Additionally, broadcasts will be available in the TVP Sport mobile application and smart TV.