Argentina’s Knockout Run Draws Bias Allegations
Argentina defended their World Cup title with narrow escapes, beating Cape Verde and Egypt 3-2 in the first two knockout rounds despite expectations of comfortable wins. They then defeated Switzerland 3-1 after extra time in the quarter-final and England 2-1 in the semi-final, but each step brought disputed officiating.
Egypt asked Fifa to remove the officials from their last-16 defeat, alleging bias in favour of Argentina and favouritism towards Lionel Messi. Coach Hossam Hassan said his side had been “treated unfairly” and “suffered injustice”, and added: “Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running.”
Egypt led 2-0 with 11 minutes remaining before Argentina scored the winner in stoppage time. The Pharaohs blamed “serious refereeing mistakes” and “double standards” from French referee Francois Letexier, pointing to a disallowed Mostafa Zico goal and penalty claims involving Hamdi Fathy and Mohamed Salah. Hassan was booked for protesting the winner.
Switzerland Dismissal in the Quarter-Final
In Kansas City, Dan Ndoye equalised in the 67th minute against Argentina. Five minutes later Breel Embolo went down under a Leandro Paredes challenge, and referee Joao Pedro da Silva Pinheiro booked the Argentina defender.
The VAR judged mistaken identity and ruled Embolo had simulated, sending the striker off because he was already on a booking. Uefa has instructed its VARs not to treat simulation as mistaken identity, calling it a misapplication of protocol, and without the red card Argentina would have faced 11 players.
Disputed Calls Against England
Argentina adopted a physical approach in the semi-final, with Enzo Fernandez challenging Elliot Anderson from behind in the third minute, a case for violent conduct similar to a VAR red shown to South Africa’s Themba Zwane. England fans argued Messi fouled Djed Spence on Argentina’s winning goal, which stood as Egypt’s comparable goal had been ruled out.
Messi, the Draw, and Routes
Messi escaped a booking for a challenge on Algeria captain Aissa Mandi that mirrored Folarin Balogun’s VAR dismissal against Bosnia-Herzegovina. He has scored eight goals this tournament to become the all-time leading scorer on 21.
Fifa’s December draw placed the top four ranked nations in separate quarters, giving Argentina a path through Cape Verde (67th), Egypt (29th), and Switzerland (19th) before England. England faced no top-10 side until Argentina, while Spain beat Portugal and Belgium, and France met Morocco in the quarters.
The France-Morocco quarter-final drew attention when Fifa named an all-French on-field team and an Argentine lead VAR, though France won 2-0 without controversy. Infantino’s Club World Cup selection of Inter Miami over play-off champions LA Galaxy placed Messi in the host opener.
Penalty Record
Argentina lead the 2026 tournament with three penalties awarded. That follows their record of five at the 2022 World Cup, the most by any team in one edition.
Messi has missed two of the three spot-kicks, against Austria and Egypt. Brazil, England, France, and Switzerland have each been awarded two penalties.