Why Some World Cup Fans Think FIFA Favors Argentina In Final

Topline

Lionel Messi, one of soccer’s wealthiest and most famous stars, has become the subject of conspiracy theories from some World Cup watchers who accuse FIFA of displaying favoritism toward him and the Argentine team, which takes on Spain in the World Cup final on Sunday.

Key Facts

Why Did The Argentina-Egypt Match Spark Favoritism Allegations?

Egypt’s coach Hossam Hassan called the game “unfair” and said his team “suffered injustice” after referees voided an Egyptian goal due to a foul and apparently declined to investigate a potential foul by Argentina. Hassan suggested FIFA “wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running.” The Egyptian Football Association also said after the game it “cannot remain silent,” saying “several key incidents raised serious concerns and left profound questions about the consistency and fairness of decisions that directly influenced the course of the game.” The Argentine Football Federation also said last week it was investigating a potential hack of its systems after mass emails were sent to reporters calling for “justice” for the Egyptian team. “The robbery will not go unnoticed,” the email said, alleging Argentina won the game thanks to “corrupt calls.”

tangent

Although the semifinal clash between England and Argentina was nowhere as tumultuous on refereeing matters it did see heated argument involving English midfielder Jude Bellingham and Messi. A widely viewed X post falsely suggested that Bellingham told Messi that he was being aided by FIFA authorities and that Ronaldo is better than him. In reality, when asked about the clash in a post game interview Bellingham said they were arguing over a foul but it was nothing major. “There was nothing against him. I'm obviously on the losing side which hurts a lot, but it's a privilege to go against him.”

contra

Lionel Scaloni, manager of Argentina’s national team, last week dismissed claims FIFA displays favoritism toward Messi and Argentina. “Honestly, people have been saying those kinds of things about Argentina for a very long time,” Scaloni said. “Social media magnifies everything. That's where the debates begin. But there hasn't been any favoritism.” Pierluigi Collina, FIFA’s refereeing chief, also denied claims of favoritism in the Argentina-Egypt match, saying “constructive discussion about decisions will always be part of football, but unfounded allegations have ​no place in our sport.” Collina said “nobody can claim that FIFA refereeing can be influenced by ⁠anyone, not even by the FIFA president.”

what to watch for

Argentina will face off against Spain in the World Cup final Sunday at 3 p.m. EDT at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

forbes valuation

Messi is worth $1.1 billion, according to Forbes estimates, making him one of soccer’s wealthiest stars. He placed third on Forbes’ list of the highest-paid athletes of 2026, behind fellow soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo and boxer Canelo Alvarez. Messi ranked second on Forbes’ 2025 list of the highest-paid soccer stars, again behind Ronaldo, with earnings of $130 million. He has brand deals with companies including Adidas, Lay’s and Mastercard, and he launched a sports drink, Más+ by Messi, in 2024. Messi signed with Major League Soccer team Inter Miami in 2023.

big number

8. That’s how many goals Messi has scored at the 2026 World Cup. He was tied for the lead before France’s Kylian Mbappe netted two goals in the third-place match against England, bringing him to 10 goals for the tournament. Mbappe is the first player to put home double-digit goals in a World Cup since Gerd Muller scored 10 goals for Germany in 1970.

key background

FIFA is no stranger to corruption allegations, including some made against Infantino. Critics have lashed out at Infantino over his close ties to Trump, as the United States was one of this year’s World Cup host countries. Controversy especially broke out after Trump called Infantino before FIFA lifted U.S. striker Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension. Barry Andrews, an Irish member of the European Parliament, slammed FIFA as a “profoundly corrupt” organization after Trump intervened. Sepp Blatter, a former FIFA president, called the organization a “dictatorship” in February, accusing Infantino of being “submissive” to and currying favor with Trump. Blatter was FIFA’s president when it became embroiled in a corruption scandal, in which executives were charged for rigging World Cup host bids in exchange for bribes.

further reading

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