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Fans tell Al Jazeera Argentina fans threw beer bottles at them and abused them when their team scored a knockout game.
Published on 8 Jul 2026
The teams of Egyptian and Cape Verdean players have accused their Argentinian counterparts of violence in the last two World Cup matches they played against them.
Objections, plus and minus one high case of racism, has brought fresh scrutiny to Argentina’s title defence, after two hard-fought games in which lowly opponents came close to embarrassing Lionel Messi’s side.
On Tuesday, Egypt hosted Argentina 2-0 in Atlanta before Messi’s team came up late to advance to the quarterfinals.
Their fans were impressed by the team’s poor start and their turnaround by beating their Egyptian counterparts in a series of ugly pictures taken by a spectator at the Atlanta Stadium. Albiceleste fans were filmed throwing beer at Egyptian fans as the world champions drew with the Pharaohs in the last 16 of the competition.
“They were throwing beer at us,” said a fan who filmed the incident at Atlanta Stadium on Tuesday.
“When we scored, we didn’t do anything to them. When they scored, they started attacking us,” he added before filming the Argentina fans, which angered the Egyptian fans.
Several videos and photos posted by fans at the stadium also showed the Argentines waving the Israeli flag at the Egyptian coaches as they left the stadium after the match.
Egyptian head teacher Hossam Hassan has spoken with great concern about the plight of the Palestinian people, especially those in Gaza, where Israel has waged a deadly war since October 2023.
They made headlines raising the Palestinian flag After the victory of Egypt-of-32 against Australia last week, and he followed it by talking about the matter in his press conference before Monday.
“If there is anyone in the world who does not listen to the Palestinian people, it is not the people – whether they are Arabs, Europeans, or Americans,” he said. Hassan said.
The event in Atlanta was not the only event involving Argentine fans.
Last Friday, tiny Cape Verde shocked Argentina in their last 32 match in Miami. The undersized but resilient African side pulled off a superb two-goal comeback against three-time hosts to stun the Argentine crowd at the Miami Stadium.
After Argentina beat Cape Verde, fans of the African team told Al Jazeera that their South American counterparts threw beer bottles at them for every goal their team scored.
“We were a smaller group of fans than them, and they attacked us with bottles after every goal,” a fan who wished to remain anonymous told Al Jazeera outside Miami Stadium on Friday.
As Argentina advance to the quarterfinals, where they will face Switzerland at the Kansas City Stadium on Saturday, it remains to be seen whether FIFA will take action or issue a warning.
FIFA did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.
Earlier on Tuesday, the world’s governing body for sports released a statement condemning the abuse that took place on IShowSpeed’s Argentina vs Cape Verde broadcast.
The American supporter attended and watched several World Cup matches in partnership with FIFA, US TV broadcaster Fox Sports and YouTube which allowed him to participate in official matches.
During Argentina vs Cape Verde in Miami, Speed When asked what he was talking about, the fan told Speed in Spanish to “go cry to the zoo”.
FIFA said it had “immediately launched an investigation” into the July 3 incident in Miami.
It said the World Cup is a “celebration of unity, diversity, and mutual respect” and said the organization would not welcome anyone “who engages in acts that undermine these values”.
