Conspiracy Theories Surrounding the World Cup Final: Spain vs Argentina
A week has passed since the World Cup ended, yet conspiracy theories surrounding the tournament continue to proliferate.
Most of them focus on Spain's victory over Argentina in the final, which ended 1-0, and the scandals that marred the South Americans' performance.
One post, which garnered nearly 4 million views, claims that FIFA "needed a European champion."
It states that FIFA President Gianni Infantino struck a deal with UEFA to ensure Spain's victory in exchange for support for his re-election in 2027.
The attached video provides no evidence to support these claims, and a community note below indicates that Argentina lost the final because they did not make a single shot on target throughout the match.
More than 200 FIFA member associations have already backed Infantino's re-election; only a few European federations have yet to express their support.
UEFA has frequently clashed with FIFA over various issues, but it remains unclear whether the organization is willing to support a candidate opposing Infantino.
Regardless, there is no evidence that it resorted to bribery to influence the outcome of the final.
Falkland Islands Dispute
According to another circulating version, FIFA allegedly forced Argentina to either lose the final or face a ten-year ban from World Cups after players displayed a banner reading "Falkland Islands belong to Argentina" following their semifinal victory over England.
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The Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory in the southwest Atlantic, have long been at the center of a sovereignty dispute between the United Kingdom and Argentina. In 1982, Buenos Aires invaded the archipelago, but after 74 days, the islands were returned to British control.
However, there is no evidence that FIFA threatened Argentina over the banner statement after the match against England. Reports indicate that FIFA is reviewing this episode, but no official sanctions have been announced.
Article 34.3 of the World Cup regulations prohibits the display of political messages before, during, and after any matches.
There have been precedents for punishing players for violating such rules: UEFA suspended Spanish players Álvaro Morata and Rodri for one match after they chanted "Gibraltar belongs to Spain" during the celebration of their Euro 2024 victory over England, referring to the British overseas territory at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula.
However, no such sanctions have been applied to Argentina or its players for their political statements.
Threat Allegations
Another conspiracy theory claims that before the World Cup final, players from the Argentina national team and their families were threatened, citing a video clip in which captain Lionel Messi encourages his teammates before the match.
"Let's stay calm," Messi says in the video. "Let's forget about everything, just think about the game."
Social media users claim this proves he was trying to calm his teammates after they were allegedly threatened and told to throw the match.
However, watching the full video reveals that Messi also says, "Come on, Nico, you'll have a great match" and "Today is my day, this will go down in history," indicating his determination to give his all.
Argentina's head coach Lionel Scaloni dismissed these theories, and the president of the Argentine Football Association, Claudio Tapia, urged people to "not believe the lies" and stated that Spain deserved the victory in the final.
The father of Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister also stated in a radio interview that no one threatened him.
