Soccer Football – FIFA World Cup 2026 – Final – Spain v Argentina – New York/New Jersey Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S. – July 19, 2026 Argentina’s Leandro Paredes clashes with Spain’s Gavi next to assistant coach Walter Samuel IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/James Lang
EAST RUTHERFORD — FIFA will investigate Argentina’s antics following its 1-0 loss in the World Cup Final on Sunday evening at MetLife Stadium, in which multiple players and coaches got into it with the champions, Spain.
Defender Leandro Paredes was shown a red card for violent conduct after he grabbed and pushed Eric Garcia and Gavi. Nahuel Molina attempted to knock over Rodri while the Spanish captain began to celebrate his side winning the World Cup, and assistant coach Roberto Ayala threw a punch toward the face of Dani Olmo.
Veteran defender Nicolas Otamendi then confronted Rodri and Aymeric Laporte for their pre-match remarks concerning the officiating.
It was a shameful showing from Argentina, which had made it commonplace to mock its opponents after big wins during a dominant five-year stretch that featured two Copa Americas and the 2022 World Cup title. Most recently, they celebrated in the faces of England after coming back to win the semifinal in Atlanta last week, then paraded around with a sign that read, “The Malvinas are Argentine,” claiming sovereignty over the contested Falkland Islands, which Argentina and England briefly went to war over in 1982.
But Argentina took sore-losing to another level, turning their backs to Spain as it lifted the trophy on Sunday evening in East Rutherford.
“We don’t care,” Olmo said. “What’s important are the values you want to transmit. We are an example for many generations, and I think they should be too. Now, we’re going to enjoy it.”
Following the match, Argentinian players skipped out on the media mixed zone, which had been mandatory for every team at this World Cup.
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