An online petition demanding Argentina’s permanent exclusion from the FIFA World Cup amassed a remarkable 23,316,108 digital signatures from approximately 170 countries, making it one of the largest such campaigns ever recorded.
The petition, titled “Argentina Out,” emerged during the 2026 tournament amid mounting accusations that match officials had shown systematic bias towards Lionel Messi’s side.
Its description stated: “Why should the rest of the world compete when the winner has already been decided? Kick Argentina out of the World Cup and give everyone else a fair chance.”
Organisers had initially set a target of five million signatures. That figure was eclipsed more than four times over, with the bulk of support reportedly arriving in under a week.
Argentina players were in tears after losing the World Cup final
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GETTY
The campaign’s explosive growth was fuelled by a string of disputed refereeing decisions throughout Argentina’s run, particularly during their round-of-16 match against Egypt, which prompted bias allegations from the Egyptian camp.
The final itself became the petition’s most potent accelerant. Spain claimed a 1-0 victory in extra time, but the match descended into ugly scenes after the whistle.
Leandro Paredes was at the centre of the disorder, allegedly striking Spain defender Eric Garcia with a punch and forcing Gavi to the ground. Nahuel Molina also appeared to throw a punch at Spanish captain Rodri as he passed him, whilst assistant coach Roberto Ayala was reportedly involved in the fracas too.
Earlier in the contest, Enzo Fernandez had received a straight red card for a dangerous challenge on young defender Pau Cubarsi, reducing Argentina to ten men and effectively tilting the match in Spain’s favour.
These incidents compounded the existing fury and sent signature numbers surging to their final tally.
Argentina’s conduct during and after the World Cup final was nothing short of despicable
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REUTERS
With its final count of 23,316,108 signatures, the campaign fell tantalisingly short of entering the record books. The Guinness World Record for the most-signed petition remains with the Jubilee 2000 movement, a late-1990s campaign calling for the cancellation of crushing debts owed by the world’s poorest nations, which gathered 24,319,181 names.
The gap between the two stands at just over one million signatures. Had the “Argentina Out” petition remained open even briefly longer, it might well have claimed the title.
Nevertheless, the sheer scale of the response — surpassing its original five-million target by a factor of more than four within days — underscored the depth of global frustration with what many perceived as a tainted tournament.
FIFA has confirmed that a formal investigation into the post-match altercation is now underway. The governing body’s disciplinary committee has appointed an ethics prosecutor to examine the events that followed the final whistle.
Players Molina, Paredes and Thiago Almada are understood to be under scrutiny, alongside assistant coach Ayala.
The ethics prosecutor holds the authority to impose worldwide bans on those found culpable. Charges could include “violating the basic rules of decent conduct” and “behaving in a way that brings the sport of football and/or FIFA into disrepute.”
Spanish players were punched and kicked by Argentineans after the full-time whistle
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REUTERS
Should the investigation result in sanctions, it would mark a significant escalation beyond the petition’s symbolic demands, translating widespread public anger into concrete disciplinary consequences for the Argentine camp.
When the petition closed following Spain’s triumph, its organisers left a succinct farewell: “FIFA ignored us, but Spain kept its promises, thank you Spain.” They noted that over 23 million people from 170 countries had signed in under a week.
In a curious twist, Argentine supporters launched their own counter-campaign on Change.org after the final, collecting more than 80,000 signatures to demand the match be replayed over what they considered poor officiating.
Argentina players courted controversy by parading a “Falklands is Argentine” banner after beating England
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REUTERS
Twenty-three million claimed the referees favoured Argentina; eighty thousand insisted the officials cost them the trophy.
The broader tournament had been dogged by controversy well beyond refereeing, from inflated ticket prices and disputed “hydration breaks” to a banner reading “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” displayed during Argentina’s semi-final celebrations against England.
