Argentina players face FIFA investigation over World Cup final altercation with Spain

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(FILES) Argentina’s midfielder #05 Leandro Paredes (top) clashes with Spain’s midfielder #09 Gavi during the 2026 World Cup football tournament final match between Spain and Argentina at the New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on July 19, 2026. FIFA announced on July 29, 2026 that it had opened proceedings into some Argentina players for their behaviour after losing the World Cup to Spain. A handful of Argentina players and staff confronted their Spanish rivals after the final whistle of the final in New York which Spain won 1–0 after extra time. Argentina players including Nahuel Molina, Thiago Almada and Leandro Paredes, as well as Argentinian official Roberto Ayala, were involved in the incidents, as was Spain’s Pablo Martin Paez Gavira. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP)

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FIFA announced Wednesday that it had opened proceedings into some Argentina players for their behaviour after losing the World Cup to Spain.

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A handful of Argentina players and staff confronted their Spanish rivals after the final whistle of the final in New York which Spain won 1–0 after extra time.

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Argentina players including Nahuel Molina, Thiago Almada and Leandro Paredes, as well as Argentinian official Roberto Ayala, were involved in the incidents, as was Spain’s Pablo Martin Paez Gavira.

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Disciplinary proceedings were opened with the quintet facing charges from assault to unsporting behaviour.

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FIFA will also investigate an incident following Argentina’s 2-1 semi-final victory over England in which players held up a banner that read: “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” (The Falklands are Argentine).

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FIFA said the proceedings would target potential breaches of the world governing body’s articles on using a sports event for demonstrations of a non-sporting nature, team misconduct, discrimination and racist abuse, and order and security at matches.

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The latter comes “in light of discriminatory chants and gestures, late kick-offs, failure to comply with match and security protocols, the display of inappropriate messages by the team and spectators and the throwing of objects by spectators in relation to several matches of the representative team of Argentina at the FIFA World Cup 2026”.

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