SerpApi.Org
The 2026 FIFA World Cup delivered plenty of unforgettable moments. It also delivered a controversy that followed Argentina from the group stage all the way to the final whistle in Chicago.
A petition titled ‘Argentina Out’ has closed after gathering 23,316,108 signatures, calling for the defending champions to be removed from the tournament over alleged bias from FIFA and match officials. That total puts it within a million signatures of the Guinness World Record for the most signatories on a petition, a mark of 24,319,181 set by the 1997 Jubilee 2000 debt relief campaign.
The page accused FIFA and referees of being “biased toward Lionel Messi and Argentina,” adding, “Why should the rest of the world compete when the winner has already been decided? Kick Argentina out of the World Cup and give everyone else a fair chance.”
The campaign traces back to Argentina’s Round of 16 win over Egypt. Messi missed a first-half penalty, and Argentina trailed 2-0 late before scoring three goals in the final 13 minutes to advance. Egypt had a goal waved off after a VAR review, while Argentina’s winner stood despite what many felt was a foul on Mohamed Salah in the buildup.
Egypt manager Hossam Hassan didn’t hold back afterward. “This has clearly been rigged, and everyone has seen it,” he said. “If they want them to win so badly, why are they inviting everyone to participate in the World Cup?” He added that FIFA “promotes ‘Fair Play,’ but we didn’t see it on the pitch.”
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni dismissed the accusations as nothing new for a program that’s used to the noise.
“In 1986, they also said Argentina was getting unfair advantages,” he said. “There are people who don’t like to see Argentina win. These comments only inspire my team to play better football.”
He pointed to VAR itself as proof the claims didn’t hold up, saying modern review leaves “no room for different interpretations.”
The Final Whistle Made Things Worse For Argentina
Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in extra time in the final, and that result should have ended the debate. Instead, it added another chapter. FIFA has confirmed it will investigate Argentina following an altercation with Spain’s players after the matchup.
Nahuel Molina appeared to throw a punch at Spain captain Rodri as he ran past him, and Leandro Paredes clashed with Spain’s Eric Garcia. Assistant coach Roberto Ayala was reportedly involved as well. FIFA’s disciplinary committee has now appointed an ethics prosecutor to review whether the conduct violated the sport’s basic standards.
By the time the petition closed, its message had shifted from protest to victory lap.
“Over 23 million people from 170 countries signed this petition in under a week,” the site read. “FIFA ignored us, but Spain delivered. Thank you Spain.”
Nobody expects a fan petition to overturn a World Cup result, and organizers never framed it as an official FIFA process. But 23 million signatures is not a fringe number, and it lands the campaign one spot behind a debt relief movement that took years to build its total.
The real fallout now sits with FIFA’s ethics prosecutor, not the petition. Whatever conclusion comes out of that investigation will do more to settle the bias question than any online campaign could. Until then, Argentina walks away with the trophy and a controversy that refuses to go quiet.
