2026 World Cup: Petition to Exclude Argentina from Future Tournaments Surpasses 23 Million Signatures
The provocative online petition calling for the exclusion of the Argentine national team from future FIFA World Cups has gone viral, surpassing 23 million signatures, according to the organizers. The initiative, launched by the website argentinaout.com, originated during the 2026 World Cup: according to its promoters, the Albiceleste benefited from alleged favoritism by referees and FIFA throughout the tournament.
The campaign began to gain attention after Argentina’s group stage matches, intensified after the knockout match against Egypt (in which the Albiceleste came back from a 0-2 deficit to win 3-2), and continued through the subsequent rounds all the way to the final. Many users shared videos and images on social media denouncing preferential treatment toward the South American team. The initial goal was to reach 5 million signatures, but the petition—which stopped growing after Spain’s victory in the final—closed with 23,316,108 signatures, according to data published by the organizers.
“More than 23 million people from 170 countries signed this petition in less than a week. FIFA ignored us, but Spain responded. Thank you, Spain,” the website reads. The petition, which was supported by millions of people from 170 different countries, nearly broke the signature-collection record set by the Jubilee 2000 movement, which collected 24,319,181 and made it into the Guinness Book of World Records.
The organizers emphasized that this is a spontaneous initiative by fans, with no connection to FIFA, the Argentine Football Association (AFA), other national federations, or the players mentioned, and that it in no way represents an official decision by world soccer’s governing body. Meanwhile, FIFA has launched an investigation into the brawl that broke out at the end of the Spain-Argentina final, which involved several Argentine players, including Nahuel Molina and Leandro Paredes, as well as some members of the coaching staff.
