Was Argentina robbed of the World Cup title? Persistent conspiracy theories are circulating in the country of the World Cup runner-up. Association President Claudio Tapia has now tried to reassure fans.
The 2026 World Cup was also marked by mistrust. This skepticism was fueled in no small part by the inexplicable pardon of American Folarin Balogun. Norway’s federation president, Lise Klaveness, has since announced that she will file a formal complaint with FIFA. She does not want to ignore the interference by U.S. President Donald Trump, she explained in an interview with The Times of London. Klaveness rebuked FIFA officials and accused them of trying to cover up the case.
Argentina was also viewed with suspicion throughout the World Cup. Time and again, it was claimed that the 2022 World Cup champion had been given preferential treatment to enable Lionel Messi to win a second World Cup title. On social media, the country’s name was derided as “VARgentina.”
Much to the annoyance of Rodrigo de Paul, who fought back after the loss in the final. Argentina’s critics had “spread baseless conspiracy theories throughout the entire World Cup to ease the pain of others who couldn’t experience what all Argentines experienced,” he wrote on Instagram.
The loss in the final was essentially followed by a tit-for-tat: In Argentina, the sentiment spread that the World Cup victory had been stolen from the Albiceleste. A petition submitted by fans calling for a rematch of the final has so far garnered 81,000 signatures. Most blamed referee Slavko Vincic for the more-than-deserved defeat, but far stranger reasons were cited. “The only thing missing was a secret alien invasion,” the Spanish newspaper *Marca* quipped in response.
Tapia’s Demand: “Enough Is Enough”
For example, it was also claimed that AFA President Claudio Tapia had been arrested by the FBI in the U.S. over the association’s financial dealings, which turned out to be untrue. Tapia has now also made it clear that Argentina was not robbed of the World Cup title. “We couldn’t beat Spain. They were superior; they deserved to win, and we have to acknowledge that,” said the 58-year-old. “In sports, you also learn to accept defeats with the same dignity with which you celebrate victories.”
Fans should not “let themselves be influenced by lies or intrigues that are aimed solely at destabilization,” Tapia added. “Enough of turning against those who have given so much to our soccer. Today is the time to say thank you, show support, and recognize these players who, once again, gave their all for the jersey.”
The statistics, at least, align with Tapia’s assessment. For example, the shot ratio was 20 to 2 in Spain’s favor, and Spain had 65 percent possession. The xG was 1.62 to 0.34 in favor of the Spanish. “Of course we would have liked to win, but you have to accept the result,” Argentina’s coach Lionel Scaloni admitted immediately after the game, acknowledging the deserved defeat.
