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FalseSportsLast updated: July 21, 2026

Argentina Football Team Was Cheated

The claim that the Argentine national team was harmed or robbed during the 2026 World Cup is false. If anything, multiple opposing teams, pundits, and journalists accused FIFA and match officials of favoring Argentina throughout the tournament, and Argentina ultimately lost the final to Spain.

Written by Iggy Pomp · Reviewed by Igor Pomper · Last updated July 21, 2026

What we know

The claim that Argentina's national team was disadvantaged or cheated during the 2026 FIFA World Cup runs directly counter to the tournament's actual controversy narrative, which centered on accusations that officiating favored Argentina, not harmed it [web:15][web:24].

The most prominent flashpoint was Argentina's round-of-16 match against Egypt, where Argentina came from 2-0 down to win 3-2 [web:26]. Egypt led until the 78th minute before Argentina scored three goals in thirteen minutes, and Egyptian coach Hossam Hassan publicly accused FIFA of wanting Lionel Messi to 'stay in the running,' calling the result an 'injustice' [web:26]. VAR disallowed an Egyptian goal from Mostafa Zico for a foul that occurred roughly 100 yards away and about 10 seconds before the eventual score, a decision pundits called excessive [web:24]. Moments before Argentina's winning goal, Egypt was denied a penalty for contact on Mohamed Salah that many observers viewed as inconsistent with the earlier VAR intervention [web:24][web:28]. The Egyptian Football Association formally demanded that referee Francois Letexier and his officiating crew be removed from the tournament, citing 'double standards' [web:27].

FIFA's head of refereeing, Pierluigi Collina, explicitly rejected these bias claims, stating that 'nobody can claim that FIFA refereeing can be influenced by anyone, not even by the FIFA president,' and defended both the disallowed goal and the non-penalty as correct calls under the letter of the law [web:11][web:25]. Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez also called the officiating in that match 'excellent,' pushing back on the idea that his own team was mistreated [web:15].

The pattern of favoritism accusations continued into the semifinal against England, which Argentina won 2-1 after a comeback; British media, including the Daily Mail, again suggested FIFA had favored Argentina, questioning why certain Argentine players avoided bookings for rough challenges [web:15]. Before the final, a viral social media post amplified by an account linked to Cristiano Ronaldo accused FIFA of corruption aimed at handing the trophy to Messi, while Spanish journalist Pilar Rodriguez Losantos said on television that 'Argentina should have been eliminated at least five matches ago' and were 'only still in the tournament thanks to help from FIFA' [web:10].

This pattern echoes the 2022 World Cup, where Argentina's quarter-final win over the Netherlands also drew scrutiny, though in that case it was Dutch players like Frenkie de Jong and Argentine players like Emiliano Martinez who criticized referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz, and FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings against both federations for post-match conduct rather than finding evidence of manipulation [web:3][web:9]. Lahoz was subsequently removed from officiating any further matches in that tournament [web:14], but this was a disciplinary response to matchday conduct, not confirmation of bias against Argentina.

Crucially, in the 2026 final itself Argentina lost 1-0 to Spain after extra time, managing zero shots on target in 120 minutes and finishing the match with ten men after Enzo Fernandez was sent off [web:16][web:20]. A team that supposedly benefited from systemic favoritism would be an unlikely candidate to lose the final so comprehensively. The available evidence therefore supports the opposite of the claim: rather than Argentina being harmed by officiating, it was Argentina's opponents, especially Egypt, who publicly and repeatedly alleged they were disadvantaged by refereeing decisions that FIFA has consistently defended as correct and unbiased [web:11][web:25][web:26].

Common claims

  • The Argentine national team was cheated or harmed by referees at the 2026 World Cup.False
  • FIFA helped Argentina reach the World Cup final through favorable officiating.Disputed by FIFA, alleged by opposing teams and pundits
  • Egypt was unfairly denied a win against Argentina due to VAR decisions.Widely alleged by Egyptian officials and pundits, denied by FIFA
  • Argentina won the 2026 World Cup final.False - Spain won 1-0 after extra time
  • FIFA's refereeing chief found evidence of bias favoring Argentina.False - Collina explicitly rejected bias claims

Evidence hierarchy

01FIFA refereeing chief rejects claims of bias in Argentina's win over EgyptPierluigi Collina publicly defended the VAR decisions in the Argentina-Egypt match and stated no one can claim FIFA refereeing is influenced by anyone.02Refereeing chief denies bias claims in Argentina-Egypt gameAl Jazeera report on Collina's detailed defense of the disallowed Zico goal and non-penalty on Salah.03Spain 1-0 Argentina - 2026 World Cup final resultSpain defeated Argentina in the final after extra time, with Argentina managing zero shots on target and finishing with ten men.04Egypt want officials kicked out after defeat by ArgentinaThe Egyptian FA formally requested FIFA remove the officiating team from the tournament, alleging discrimination against Egypt.05Were Egypt Truly 'Robbed' By Argentina? VAR Controversies ExplainedDetailed breakdown of the two most contested VAR decisions in the Argentina-Egypt round of 16 match.06UK media accuses FIFA of favoring Argentina in World Cup semifinalBritish outlets, including the Daily Mail, alleged Argentina again benefited from favorable officiating in the semifinal against England.07Cristiano Ronaldo's account likes 'FIFA wanted to give World Cup to Messi' postViral social media accusations of FIFA corruption surfaced before the final, alleging Argentina was helped throughout the tournament.

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