Last Updated on 2 minutes ago by TodayWhy Editorial
Argentina walks into Sunday’s World Cup final against Spain as the two-time defending champion, with Lionel Messi playing what he has said will be his last World Cup match. It should be a straightforward story about a legend’s send-off. Instead, Argentina has spent the past week at the center of two separate controversies that have nothing to do with the scoreline.
One is a banner. The other is a petition signed by more than 13 million people. Here is why people are talking about both, and what’s actually true.
Why do people dislike Argentina at the World Cup right now?
Two things happened in the space of a few days. After Argentina beat England 2-1 in Wednesday’s semi-final, players unfurled a banner reading “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” — “The Malvinas are Argentine” — on the pitch, reviving the decades-old dispute over the Falkland Islands. That drew an official UK government complaint.
Separately, and on a different track entirely, a wave of fans and rival federations have accused FIFA of favoring Argentina and Messi throughout the tournament, centered on contested refereeing calls in Argentina’s round-of-16 win over Egypt. That complaint has snowballed into an online petition with more than 13 million signatures calling for Argentina’s disqualification.
Both stories are real. Neither has been proven. Here’s what’s behind each one.
The Malvinas banner: what happened, and why it’s against the rules
During post-match celebrations after the England semi-final, Argentine players held up a banner handed to them by fans in the stands. Argentina refers to the Falklands as “Las Malvinas,” a claim rooted in the two countries’ 1982 war over the islands, which Britain won.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesperson called for FIFA to investigate, saying the World Cup may not be Britain’s, but the Falkland Islands definitely are. Business Secretary Peter Kyle called the players’ behavior “entirely inappropriate.”
FIFA has real grounds to act. Its disciplinary code bans any stadium message that is “political, ideological, religious, or offensive,” and fines for this kind of violation typically run from $5,000 to $20,000. This isn’t Argentina’s first time crossing that line, either: FIFA fined the Argentine federation 30,000 Swiss francs for displaying the identical banner before a warm-up friendly against Slovenia in June, just days before this tournament started. The team has now done it twice in the same World Cup cycle.
There’s an international precedent for real punishment, too. In 2012, South Korean player Park Jong-woo was banned for two World Cup qualifiers after holding up a banner over a territorial dispute with Japan at the Olympics. FIFA hasn’t said whether it will pursue disciplinary action this time.
Argentina defender Lisandro Martínez, who plays his club football in England, defended the gesture, saying the team could not let the Argentine public down. For the longer history behind the claim itself — not the World Cup version of it — see our explainer on why Argentina claims the Falkland Islands.
The favoritism claims: what actually happened against Egypt
The second controversy is unrelated to the banner and started earlier in the tournament. Argentina trailed Egypt 2-0 in the round of 16 before scoring twice in the final 13 minutes to win 3-2. Egypt’s coach, Hossam Hassan, suggested afterward that the referee had been under pressure to keep Argentina in the tournament. The Egyptian federation filed a formal complaint against the French referee.
Two decisions drove the anger. A would-be second Egyptian goal was ruled out after a VAR review for an earlier foul. And a shirt-pull on an Egyptian player just before Argentina’s winning goal was not reviewed at all. Some independent match officials, cited in German sports media, called the no-call inconsistent with how similar incidents were handled elsewhere in the tournament.
FIFA’s head of refereeing, Pierluigi Collina, defended both calls, saying the VAR process followed protocol correctly. Argentina’s coach, Lionel Scaloni, rejected any suggestion of match-fixing outright, pointing out that video review makes pre-arranged results essentially impossible to pull off. Former manager José Mourinho was harsher, calling the result “daylight robbery” — his opinion, not a ruling.
The petition that followed, hosted at a site called argentinaout.com, has passed 13 million signatures demanding Argentina be thrown out of the tournament. It’s also worth noting Argentina isn’t the only side with a grievance this World Cup: Croatia has now had a contested officiating decision go against it in three straight tournaments — the 2018 final, the 2022 semi-final, and this year’s round of 16 — which has fueled its own version of the same “does FIFA have a favorite” question, just aimed at a different pattern.
None of this proves Argentina received special treatment. A close look by German outlet neunzigplus.de concluded that no bias is actually documented — each individual call is defensible on its own, and tight decisions cluster randomly in small samples too. What is documented, in their reading, is something else: FIFA has not published VAR protocols, explained its reasoning, or responded to Egypt’s formal complaint. The absence of transparency, not proof of a fix, is the part that’s real.
What’s actually at stake Sunday
None of this changes what’s on the field. Argentina, the reigning champion, faces Spain’s defensive-minded side on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Messi has scored eight goals this tournament, tied for the Golden Boot race, and has said this will be his last World Cup.
Neither controversy is likely to affect the result. A FIFA fine over the banner, if it comes, would land after the tournament, the way it did in 2014 the last time this exact scenario played out. And no credible evidence has surfaced that changes the outcome of the Egypt match.
Frequently asked questions
Why do people hate Argentina at this World Cup?
Two separate controversies converged in the same week: a political banner about the Falkland Islands after the England semi-final, and accusations — denied by FIFA and Argentina’s coach — that referees favored Argentina in its round-of-16 win over Egypt.
What is the Malvinas banner, and why does it break FIFA’s rules?
“Las Malvinas son Argentinas” reasserts Argentina’s claim to the British-administered Falkland Islands. FIFA’s disciplinary code bans political messages at matches it controls, and Argentina was already fined once this World Cup cycle for the same banner before the tournament began.
Did FIFA actually favor Argentina against Egypt?
There’s no proven evidence of that. FIFA’s head of refereeing defended the contested calls as protocol-compliant, and Argentina’s coach has denied any match-fixing. What critics point to instead is FIFA’s refusal to publish VAR reasoning or respond to Egypt’s official complaint — a transparency problem, not confirmed bias.
Has this happened to Argentina before?
Yes. FIFA fined the Argentine federation for the identical Malvinas banner in 2014, and again just this June before the 2026 tournament started, for a friendly against Slovenia.
When and where is the World Cup final?
Argentina plays Spain on Sunday, July 19, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.