Tue, July 21, 2026
FIFA to investigate post World Cup final altercation
FIFA will investigate the post-match altercation which occurred following Spain’s victory over Argentina in the World Cup final. The altercation appeared to start after Spain’s captain, Rodri, sprinted past Argentina’s Nahuel Molina whilst celebrating Spain’s victory. Molina appeared to make a swinging motion towards Rodri, causing Rodri to approach him whilst shouting.
Molina then appeared to square up to Rodri, sparking Spain’s Eric Garcia to intervene. Argentina’s 32-year-old player, Leandro Paredes, who received a yellow card during the game, then became involved in an altercation with Garcia who fell to the ground, and Paredes appeared to make contact with his throat.
Whilst some of Argentina’s coaching staff tried to break up the brawl, Paredes clashed with Spain’s 21-year-old player, Gavi, resulting in Gavi also falling to the ground, and Paredes seemed to make contact with his face. Spain’s Borja Iglesias then clashed with Paredes too. Footage also captured Argentina’s Assistant Coach, Daniel Ayala, appearing to strike Spain’s Dani Olmo.
BBC Sport reported that it was incorrectly reported on FIFA’s commentator information system that Paredes had been sent off during the post-match brawl, with FIFA confirming to the BBC that no disciplinary action was taken at the time.
There were several heated moments during the match as well, with Argentina’s Enzo Fernández receiving a red card for a challenge on Pau Cubarsí.
Following the post-match brawl, FIFA announced: “Following an assessment of the relevant match reports for the FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, and in line with article 36 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC), the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has appointed a Disciplinary and Ethics Prosecutor to investigate potential breaches of the FDC with regard to the post-match incidents.”
The FDC states that violent conduct could result in players being suspended for “at least three matches.” This includes “elbowing, punching, kicking, biting, spitting at or hitting an opponent,” and disciplinary action can be applied retrospectively.
The Argentine Football Association (AFA) could also be sanctioned depending on what is discovered during the investigation. The FDC states: “if a national team conducts itself improperly (for example, if individual disciplinary sanctions are imposed by the referee on five or more players during a match), disciplinary measures may also be taken against the association concerned,” or more generally, if a team behaves “in a way that brings the sport of football and/or FIFA into disrepute.”
Additionally, Argentina will be investigated following its conduct after beating England in the semi-finals of the tournament. Argentina’s players displayed a banner which read “The Falkland Islands are Argentinian,” referring to the Falklands War in 1982 when Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands and the UK recaptured them following conflict which lasted 10 weeks. In response to this, Downing Street called for an investigation, and FIFA voiced: “As is standard procedure, FIFA’s independent Disciplinary Committee is currently assessing the match reports and considering the relevant circumstances before deciding on potential further steps based on the FIFA Disciplinary Code.” The AFA was fined £20,000 in the past by FIFA for the same reason.
Spain’s Rodri previously received a one-match ban for chanting “Gibraltar is Spanish” after beating England in the 2024 Euros. It is possible that FIFA could issue bans to the players who were holding the banner: Tottenham's Cristian Romero, former Spurs player Giovani Lo Celso and Manchester United's Lisandro Martínez.
FIFA’s decision to do so would indicate a commitment to removing politics from the tournament, with Haiti, for example, having been forced to wear new jerseys just before the start of the World Cup after the global governing body deemed its kit to be too political. However, FIFA's commitment to political neutrality is under significant scrutiny regardless following its decision to suspend US striker Folarin Balogun's one-match ban for a one-year probationary period during the tournament, after US President Donald Trump publicly intervened in support of the player.
While disciplinary action against Argentina may help address some of the concerns arising from the tournament, FIFA remains under scrutiny following the conclusion of a controversial World Cup.
