Petition To Ban Argentina From FIFA World Cup Nearly Breaks Guinness World Record
The petition to ban Argentina from competing in the FIFA World Cup 2026 nearly broke the Guinness World Record.
- Argentina reached the 2026 World Cup final amid controversies and allegations of FIFA bias
- A petition to exclude Argentina from the World Cup gathered over 23 million signatures
- The petition nearly broke the Guinness World Record for most signatures worldwide
Argentina wasn't the team that won over fans by playing beautiful football in the FIFA World Cup 2026. The Lionel Messi-led team did reach the final of the tournament, but en route came plenty of controversies, as well as allegations that FIFA favoured the South Americans. A petition to exclude Argentina from the World Cup was in full swing even before the final, where a heated altercation between players after the referee's full-time whistle further damaged the team's reputation. Before being closed, the petition garnered a mind-boggling total of over 23 million digital signatures, nearly breaking the Guinness World Record.
Argentina finished the tournament as arguably the most 'hated team' ever to have participated. Leandro Paredes' post-match actions-including, but not limited to, punching Spanish defender Eric Garcia and throwing Gavi to the ground-made Argentina absolute villains. During the match, Enzo Fernandez was sent off for a tackle on Pau Cubarsi, a moment that arguably played a pivotal role in La Albiceleste's defeat.
Argentina's actions in the final meant that the petition to have the team permanently banned from the World Cup attracted even more attention. It ended up gathering more than 23 million signatures worldwide, becoming one of the most circulated petitions in history.
According to reports published by multiple European outlets, the petition was titled "Argentina Out" and drew 23,316,108 signatures from around 170 countries, far exceeding its original target of 5 million.
The petition against Argentina was launched amid allegations of refereeing bias during the tournament. "Why should the rest of the teams play in the tournament if the winner is known in advance? Exclude Argentina from the World Cup and give everyone a fair chance," the text of the petition read.
Once Argentina lost the final 0-1 to Spain, the organisers of the petition concluded with the message: "FIFA ignored us, but Spain kept its promise... thank you, Spain."
The official record for the most-signed petition belongs to the Jubilee 2000 movement, which gathered 24,319,181 signatures. It is fair to say that had the petition continued for a couple more days, it would have broken the record.
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