Argentina's behaviour at the 2026 World Cup has sparked calls for FIFA to impose sanctions, following an ugly brawl after the final whistle in the final against Spain. Spain won 1-0 at MetLife Stadium on July 19, denying Lionel Messi a second consecutive title.
Final brawl mars Spain's victory
After the hard-fought match, Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes grabbed and shoved Spain's Gavi to the floor, while defender Nahuel Molina struck Player of the Tournament Rodri. The scenes followed 120 minutes in which Argentina received six yellow cards and Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez was sent off for dissent and a reckless challenge on Pau Cubarsi.
Previous incidents throughout tournament
Earlier in the tournament, after Argentina's 2-1 semi-final win over England, unused substitute Valentin Barco ran towards the English bench to celebrate, leading Jude Bellingham to slap him on the back of the head. Defender Nicolas Otamendi then displayed a banner reading "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" (The Falklands are Argentine), referencing the 1982 conflict that killed 649 Argentine soldiers and 255 British personnel.
Controversial refereeing decisions
Argentina also faced claims of favouritism from officials. In the round of 16 against Egypt, a crucial Egypt goal was disallowed for a soft foul. In the quarter-final against Switzerland, Paredes had a red card overturned by VAR using a rare "mistaken identity" protocol. Against England, Enzo Fernandez escaped punishment for pushing his hand into Elliot Anderson's neck, and some pundits argued Argentina's winning goal should have been ruled out for a foul on Djed Spence.
In 2022, when Argentina won the World Cup in Qatar, they were awarded a record five penalties, with critics claiming up to four were wrongly given.
FIFA urged to act
FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who has been accused of "destroying football", is urged to impose financial penalties or match suspensions on the players involved to end claims of systematic favouritism towards Messi.
