Petition demanding Argentina's World Cup expulsion tops 10 million signatures
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An online petition calling for Argentina's expulsion from the 2026 FIFA World Cup has surpassed 10 million signatures, reflecting widespread backlash following the team's controversial Round of 16 victory over Egypt.
Hosted on argentinaout.com, the petition alleges that Argentina and captain Lionel Messi have benefited from biased officiating, claiming FIFA and match officials have favored the defending champions throughout the tournament.
"It is obvious that FIFA and the referees are biased towards Lionel Messi and Argentina," the petition states. "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."
Read more: FIFA accused of favoritism toward Messi, 'VARgentina'
The campaign gained momentum after Argentina came from two goals down to defeat Egypt 3-2 in a dramatic Round of 16 match.
Controversial officiating
The match sparked debate over two key refereeing decisions.
Egypt had what would have been its third goal ruled out following a lengthy VAR review after officials identified a foul earlier in the attacking move.
Later, Argentina's stoppage-time winner was allowed to stand without a VAR review. Egypt argued Mohamed Salah had been fouled in the build-up, claiming the incident should have resulted in a penalty rather than Argentina's match-winning counterattack.
Read more: Egyptian fans say faced racism & profiling by security at Argentina World Cup game
The decisions prompted sharp criticism from Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan.
"I'll say what I think, regardless of the consequences. This has clearly been rigged and everyone has seen it," Hassan told reporters after the match.
"If they want them to win so badly, why are they inviting everyone else to participate in the World Cup?"
Hassan also accused FIFA of failing to uphold the principles of fair play, while the Egyptian Football Association submitted a formal complaint calling for an investigation.
Argentina rejects allegations
Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni dismissed claims of favoritism ahead of his team's quarter-final match, arguing that modern technology makes manipulation highly unlikely.
"In 1986, they also said Argentina was getting unfair advantages. This is nothing new for us," Scaloni said.
"With VAR and all the technology we have today, it's extremely difficult to help anyone. There is no room for different interpretations."
Scaloni defended the decision to disallow Egypt's goal, saying the foul identified during the buildup met the criteria for VAR intervention under the Laws of the Game.
FIFA yet to respond
Despite the petition's rapid growth, FIFA has not indicated it is considering disciplinary action against Argentina.
The campaign has nevertheless intensified scrutiny of refereeing decisions involving the defending champions, with officiating expected to remain under close attention as the tournament progresses.
