Argentina's 2026 World Cup progress marred by controversial refereeing decisions

French magazine Onze Mondial reported a series of refereeing mistakes in Argentina's 2026 World Cup matches that allegedly favored the team. The decisions in the matches against Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt and Switzerland sparked backlash in the international football community.

Scraper SystemJuly 13, 2026, 11:38 AM

Argentina's 2026 World Cup progress marred by controversial refereeing decisions

French magazine Onze Mondial has presented a report revealing controversial referee decisions in Argentina's 2026 World Cup matches that allegedly favored the team. The report scrutinizes incidents from four critical matches that are claimed to have shaped Argentina's progress in the tournament.

Messi's challenge in the Algeria match

The magazine wrote that in the group stage match where Argentina beat Algeria 3-0, Lionel Messi's harsh challenge on Algerian defender Aissa Mandi went unpunished by the referee and VAR. Despite protests from Algerian players, Messi stayed on the pitch and played a part in the victory.

Allegations in the Cape Verde match

In the round of 32 match where Argentina beat Cape Verde 3-2, a series of alleged mistakes were listed. The report stated that a foul on Varela was ignored and a penalty was not given despite Cristian Medina handling the ball in the penalty area. Other criticized issues included Messi taking a free kick without the wall being set, and Nicolas Tagliafico returning to play despite a bleeding wound without the required delay.

Egypt's disallowed goal and card disparity

The strongest reactions came in the round of 16 match against Egypt. Egypt's chance to go 2-0 up was lost when a goal was disallowed after a VAR review for a foul by Lisandro Martinez. Throughout the match, Egyptian players received 5 yellow cards, while no Argentine player was booked. Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan said the referees were "under great pressure," which resulted in decisions favoring Argentina. Argentina came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2.

Red card controversy in the Switzerland match

In the quarter-final match against Switzerland, another controversial decision arose. In the 72nd minute, Swiss forward Breel Embolo received a second yellow card for simulation and was sent off. However, it was initially indicated that the yellow card was shown to Argentine Leandro Paredes. Down to 10 men, Switzerland collapsed in extra time and lost the match, sending Argentina through to the semi-finals. After the match, Switzerland head coach Murat Yakin stated, "There were two types of refereeing."

Onze Mondial wrote that these consecutive controversial decisions have fueled conspiracy theories about Argentina's progress in the tournament.

Argentina's 2026 World Cup progress marred by controversial refereeing decisions