How Did Argentina Become The 2026 World Cup’s Villain?
Argentina and Lionel Messi became this World Cup Villains, with allegations of favoritism, cheating and racism, so here is a breakdown.
The 2026 World Cup has united people around the world on one thing and it is hating Argentina.
Somehow, Argentina and Lionel Messi became this World Cup Villains, with allegations of favoritism, cheating and racism, so here is a breakdown.
In 2022, Argentina winning the World Cup in Qatar felt like a fairy tale to a lot of fans as Messi, who is widely considered the greatest player of all time, finally lifted the one trophy, with many calling it the best World Cup final ever played.
This time, at the 2026 World Cup hosted across the United States, Mexico and Canada, Argentina has kept winning, but with every win, the controversy increased.
In Argentina's opening match against Algeria, Messi appeared to rake his studs down the leg of opposing captain Aïssa Mandi.
The referee did not produce a card, and a video assistant referee, or VAR, review cleared the incident.
Messi apologized after the match, but the no-call fueled early online debate about whether officials were treating Argentina, and Messi specifically, more leniently than other teams, claiming that if another player attempted this, he would have gotten a red card for it.
Then during Argentina’s match against Cabo Verde, Messi shot a free kick while the goalkeeper Vozinha was still fixing his wall.
In the round of 16 on July 7, Egypt was advancing against the defending champions led by football star Lionel Messi two-nil until the 79th minute of the match, threatening one of the great World Cup upsets.
But the match ended with Argentina winning 3-2, scoring three goals in 11 minutes plus extra time.
Egypt's Mostafa Zico had scored another goal for Egypt, but the referee François Letexier canceled it after reviewing the VAR — the video assistant referee — over a foul committed by teammate Marawan Attia on Argentina's Lisandro Martinez on the other end of the pitch in the buildup to Zico's goal.
At the same time, people pointed out two fouls committed by Argentina players against the Egyptian players inside the penalty area in the buildup of their winning gaol, but the referee refused to even check the VAR.
Egypt’s coach was seen at the end of the match making an X sign with his hands, a gesture to signal racial abuse, which requires the game to be suspended according to FIFA rules, but Letexier gave him a yellow card instead.
Letexier then began handing Egyptian players yellow cards, with five cards given, including one for Hassan and a red card for one of the technical staff members.
After the match, statistics showed that Argentina committed 13 fouls, including one where an Egyptian player was slapped on the face and got zero yellow cards, while Egypt committed 10 fouls and got five yellow cards.
Egypt's coach, Hossam Hassan, said his team had been treated unfairly and suggested officials wanted to keep Messi in the tournament.
The Egyptian Football Association filed a formal complaint, saying it could not stay silent about the officiating.
FIFA's refereeing chief rejected the bias claims, and analysts noted no evidence of match-fixing has been found.
After beating Egypt, Argentina's players were filmed singing "La Cuarta Estrella" or "The Fourth Star", a song about winning a fourth World Cup that also references the Malvinas, Argentina's name for the Falkland Islands.
The islands remain a sensitive topic: Argentina and the UK fought a war over them in 1982, in which more than 900 people were killed.
FIFA, which bans political statements inside stadiums, said it would not discipline Argentina over the song.
In the quarterfinal against Switzerland on Saturday, July 11, Switzerland's Breel Embolo was sent off under a newly introduced "mistaken identity" rule after a VAR review found he had exaggerated contact from Argentina's Leandro Paredes, who had initially been booked instead.
Switzerland played the rest of the match with 10 men and lost 3-1 in extra time.
Switzerland's coach, Murat Yakin, said the decision was not understandable and that the new rule "destroyed the game."
After the game, Argentina players were also filmed singing “La Cuarta Estrella" song again.
Argentina fans have also been accused of being racist, making racist remarks about African American streamer Ishowspeed in two different matches and were filmed throwing beers at Egyptian fans after scoring a goal.
The FBI has also opened an investigation into TourProdEnter LLC, a Florida-based company accused of corruption in handling promotional deals for the Argentine Football Association, including mony laundering accusations.
Argentina faces England on Wednesday, July 15, in Atlanta, with a place in the World Cup final at stake.
It will be the two teams' first World Cup meeting since 2002, and the first time Argentina has played England since the Falklands song began circulating among fans.
FIFA has not indicated any further action is planned over the chant, and no formal finding of officiating bias against Argentina has been made.
The same week, the FBI opened an investigation into TourProdEnter LLC, a Florida-based company accused of corruption in handling promotional deals for the Argentine Football Association.
The case is separate from anything that happened on the field, but it added to a growing sense that Argentina's success was being shadowed by controversy off it.
It goes back to Diego Maradona, whose place in football history is inseparable from scandal.
In the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal against England, Maradona scored his infamous “Hand of God” goal, scoring a goal with his hand.
In football, there is an unwritten rule that if your country gets disqualified, you would root for countries in the region, but most Latin American countries are cheering for anyone going up against Argentina.
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