World Cup Conspiracy?

“The game was rigged—it’s all about the money”

After the final, many conspiracy theorists on social media suddenly viewed Argentina as the victim of a conspiracy.(Bild: AFP/LARS BARON)

The 2026 World Cup broke many records—including negative ones. There have never been as many conspiracy theories as there were during this tournament. Argentina, in particular, is said to have been given extreme preferential treatment. But in the final, Lionel Messi and his teammates suddenly became the victims of a conspiracy.

After Argentina’s 3–2 victory over Egypt in the Round of 16, Egyptian coach Hossam Hassan raged over controversial calls by French referee Francois Letexier: “The game was rigged. If FIFA wants Argentina to win, why do they even let all the other teams participate in the tournament? It’s all about the money. They want Messi to stay in the tournament. The Argentines put pressure on the referee.”

Egypt’s coach Hossam Hassan raged after decisions by French referee François Letexier.(Bild: AFP/ROBERTO SCHMIDT)

Wikipedia Entry Tampered With
Following the match, a reference appeared on Letexier’s Wikipedia page—which had been edited shortly before—stating that he had grown up in an Orthodox Jewish family. This false information sparked speculation and conspiracy theories suggesting that either Israel had influenced the result or that FIFA had ensured Argentina’s advancement.

After the final, many conspiracy theorists on social media suddenly viewed Argentina as the victim of a plot.(Bild: AFP/LARS BARON)

What’s true: There were a few refereeing decisions that favored Argentina. Messi’s foul in the first game against Algeria’s Mandi should have resulted in a red card. Former German Bundesliga referee Lutz Wagner, who served as an expert commentator for ARD and Servus TV during the World Cup, told the “Krone”: “He didn’t play the ball and struck the opponent with the open sole of his shoe. Even if it wasn’t intentional, a red card should have been issued here.” But neither referee Marciniak nor the video assistant referee saw it.

Referee Marciniak and the Video Assistant Referee overlooked this red-card-worthy foul by Messi on Algeria’s Mandi.(Bild: AP/AP, Twitter.com)

And when Argentina’s Mac Allister held Egypt’s Fathi—with the score tied at 2–2—it could have resulted in a penalty kick for the Africans. Lutz Wagner: “Argentina got lucky there.” 

Argentina bonus? “Certainly not on purpose”
When asked whether there was an “Argentina bonus,” ORF rules expert Thomas Steiner replied: “Certainly not intentionally.” Nevertheless, Spanish journalist Pilar Rodriguez Losantos from the Spanish website “Okidario” stated before the final: “I believe that we won’t be playing against Argentina, but against the entire institution of FIFA, which wants to give Messi the World Cup trophy, just as it did four years ago in Qatar.” This video received 700,000 likes on Instagram. It was also liked by the official account of Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

AI Fueled the Spread of Misinformation
However, “Okidario” describes itself as a “place for non-conformists.” The online portal has repeatedly been accused of spreading misinformation in the past. But many people on social media don’t care. They believe what they see and read.

Artificial intelligence has also fueled the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories. The best example was a scene before Argentina’s 2-1 win over England. It showed a foul by Lionel Messi that never happened. Katharina Zwins, who heads the European fact-checking team at the AFP news agency, says: “What must be said is that the quality and quantity of AI-generated content is clearly unprecedented. It’s hardly possible anymore to distinguish real content from manipulated content.”

Wild Conspiracy Theory After the Final
And after the final, conspiracy theories suddenly began circulating online claiming that Argentina had been asked to lose the match against Spain. A conspiracy was concocted. The reason was likely the political celebration with a banner regarding the Falkland Islands after the semifinal against England. A video (see above) served as the basis for the wild speculation, showing Lionel Messi speaking with his teammates outside the locker room and asking them to forget everything. Some players allegedly had red eyes, as if they had been crying beforehand. And that there had been a script. This, it was claimed, also explained why Argentina hadn’t taken a single shot on Spain’s goal during regulation time. And so on and so forth.

Sometimes the simplest explanation is the right one: Spain was simply the better team that night, while Argentina put in one of its weakest performances in the very match that mattered most.

Gianni Infantino and Donald Trump broke the biggest taboo of this World Cup.(Bild: AP/Evan Vucci)

The Biggest Taboo-Breaking Moment
The biggest reason why conspiracy theories exploded during the knockout stage was provided by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and U.S. President Donald Trump. The decision by FIFA to suspend the red-card ban on U.S. forward Folarin Balogun ahead of the Round of 16 match against Belgium—following a phone call from Trump—was the biggest possible breach of taboo. This showed that, when in doubt, FIFA is even willing to allow external pressure to force it to violate the rules of the sport. From that point on, everything escalated, and every decision was immediately met with widespread suspicion.