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It came very close to setting a record.

Argentina insist they were cheated in the 2026 World Cup final. Now, in a dramatic twist, loud demands have emerged calling for the tango dancers to be banned from the World Cup forever.

23 million demand Argentina's expulsion

More than 23 million people have signed the "Leave, Argentina" petition, which seeks a lifetime ban on the Latin American side from competing at the World Cup.

According to Euro News, the total reached 23,316,108 signatures. The petition accuses FIFA and its referees of favouring Argentina and captain Lionel Messi, before asking: "Why should the rest of the world compete when the winner is already known? Exclude Argentina from the World Cup and give everyone a fair chance."

An approaching record

The petition had set a target of 5 million signatures. The actual number went far beyond that several times over, revealing a mood of "rejection" towards Argentina, driven by claims that FIFA were "favouring" the tango dancers and that referees showed bias towards their players during matches.

With the signing window now closed, the petition came extremely close to breaking the record for the most-signed petition in history. That record, held by Guinness World Records, belongs to "Jubilee 2000", which collected more than 24 million signatures in 1997, calling for the cancellation of the unpayable debts incurred by the world's poorest nations by the year 2000.

"Spain kept its promises"

The petition attracted a huge number of signatures, yet nobody responded to Argentina's exclusion. The only comfort for those who signed it? The Argentine national team lost the final.

The petition ended on its official website with the line: "FIFA ignored us, but Spain kept its promises, thank you Spain."

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What happened in the World Cup final

Spain are world champions for the second time in their history. They beat Argentina in the final of the 2026 World Cup, held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, thanks to a lone Ferran Torres goal in the 106th minute at MetLife Stadium, set up by Nico Williams.

Slovenia's Slavko Vincic was in charge of a final full of controversy. Argentina's Mac Allister and Nicolas Tagliafico both escaped cards for fouls many felt deserved one, while Spain had two goals disallowed, from Nico Williams and Ferran Torres.

The defeat denied Lionel Messi one final title before his last dance. The Argentina captain has said he will end his international career with his country, and the Inter Miami forward also missed out on the Golden Boot and the tournament's all-time top scorer crown, both of which went to Kylian Mbappe, who finished with 22 goals.

England claimed bronze, their best World Cup finish since lifting the trophy in 1966. They beat France in a thrilling third-place play-off that ended 6-4.

Controversial events

The final was not the only flashpoint. A series of refereeing decisions throughout the tournament triggered fierce controversy directed at Argentina, with players resorting to violent conduct: pushing, shirt-pulling and reckless tackles.

It began with Lionel Messi's violent tackle on Aissa Mandi in the Argentina-Algeria match. Several refereeing experts felt the challenge deserved a red card for the Tango captain.

The round-of-16 clash with Egypt lit the fuse. Messi and his teammates turned the game around to win 3-2, and afterwards coach Hossam Hassan said his side had lost because of factors on and off the pitch, insisting there were marketing reasons for keeping Messi in the tournament.

Petition to replay the final

According to the Brazilian website "Globo", Argentine fan Gisela Sanchez raised doubts over the performance of referee Slavko Vincic. In her post, she urged FIFA to review refereeing decisions that, she claims, changed the course of the match.

Sanchez argued that Argentina were denied the title by those decisions. A petition launched on Change.org demanding a replay has since crossed 61,000 signatures.

She provided no evidence to support the alleged violations, the same violations Argentine fans cite in their calls for a replay of a final decided in extra time.