Argentina Could Be Excluded from the World Cup

More than 2.5 million people have signed a petition calling for the Argentina national team to be excluded from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

According to reports, the petition was launched after Argentina's 3–2 victory over Egypt in the Round of 16. Argentina trailed 2–0 with just 11 minutes remaining in regular time but staged a dramatic comeback to secure the win.

Following the match, Egyptian supporters accused French referee François Letexier of unfair officiating and alleged that FIFA favors the reigning world champions, particularly Argentina captain Lionel Messi.

The petition's authors claim that FIFA and match officials have shown preferential treatment toward Messi and the Argentine team. The petition states:

"If the winner is already known, what is the point of the rest of the world competing for the trophy? Let's exclude Argentina from the World Cup so that other teams have a fair chance."

As supporting arguments, the petition cites Argentina's match against Egypt, the claim that La Albiceleste did not face any team ranked in FIFA's top 10 on their route to the semifinals, and the fact that Argentina has been awarded nine penalties across the last three FIFA World Cups.