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“Arbitrage favoritism” is one reason for this Latin phenomenon
Although Argentina have reached the finals of the 2026 World Cup, where they will face Spain in New York tomorrow night, Sunday, a large section of South American football fans have made no secret of their desire to see La Roja lift the title, in a unique situation that differs from the traditional solidarity that the continent’s teams usually enjoy when they reach the top stage.
A composite image of young Spanish star Lamine Yamal wearing a Brazil national team shirt accompanied by the phrase “The hope of the Brazilian people” has been shared on social media, a sarcastic reference to some fans’ desire for Spain to win the title at the expense of their Argentinian rivals.
Throughout the history of the World Cup, South American teams have been accustomed to enjoying the support of their neighbors in their bid for the title, but a flurry of sarcastic comments and criticism on digital platforms revealed an exception for Lionel Messi’s Argentina team.
Similarly, when Marca newspaper conducted a poll on the opinions of fans from all continents of the world regarding the World Cup final, The Spanish team received the largest percentage of votes in all continentsincluding South America.
Broken solidarity with Argentina
This stance is not only linked to the historic rivalry between Brazil and Argentina or the old rivalry between soccer legends Pele and Diego Maradona, but has also extended to fans in Mexico, Colombia and Chile, where many hope Argentina will slip up in the final.
Colombian sociologist German Gomes believes the “solidarity dynamic” with Argentina has “broken down”, explaining that social media has fueled the spread of stories accusing Argentina of taking advantage of FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino.
The whole world right now. pic.twitter.com/F7NBwSQcgT
—Alvaro Linares |: REGISTER (@alvarolinaresc) July 15, 2026
Gomez said in statements highlighted by the network RCC:French. Argentina’s image among some fans changed because of these stories, leading many to see it as the team that benefited the most from the decisions of the international football establishment.
Arbitrating a dispute increases anger
The refereeing decisions are one of the most prominent reasons that have led some fans on the continent to turn against Argentina, as critics of the team believe that the Albiceleste received arbitration assistance during the tournament, even though many of these decisions have been approved by the International Federation and refereeing experts.
Francisco Santos, a soccer fan in Sao Paulo, Brazil, said: “Argentina got help from the referees”, noting that Brazilian fans celebrated when England scored against Argentina in the semi-final.
The 42-year-old fan added: “After Brazil failed to win a sixth title, I’d rather Spain win a second World Cup than Argentina a fourth.”
Juan Camilo Abu Said, a financial worker in the Colombian capital Bogota, said he would support Spain in the final despite admitting Messi was a “legend”, while he believed the Argentine star could deserve a second world title “but not in this way”.
Accusations of racism affect Argentina’s image
In addition to the arbitration controversy, Argentina’s image has also been affected by accusations of racism against some of its fans and players.
The chant played by some Argentina players after they won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which included racist abuse towards the black players of the French national team, is still fresh in the minds of many.
FIFA has condemned a racist incident at the 2026 World Cup after an Argentinian fan insulted popular black American content creator iShowspeed, demanding he go “cry in the zoo” during a live broadcast.
⚽️🇦🇷 – “GO TO THE ZOO”. An Argentina supporter made racist comments during a broadcast against black content creator IShowSpeed.
FIFA should react. pic.twitter.com/sFrsd1MrVO
— Racism Alerts (@RacismAlerts) July 4, 2026
Gomes believes that the attitude of some South American fans towards Argentina is also related to their rejection of FIFA due to the controversy surrounding some of its decisions during the tournament.
He noted that the World Cup had seen widespread criticism of FIFA, including allowing US forward Folarin Balogun to play in the round of 16 against Belgium despite receiving a red card, the decision being appealed and US President Donald Trump calling Gianni Infantino.
Messi faced the image of “FIFA’s favorite”.
“This version of the World Cup has become very political,” said Jorge Negro, a professor of anthropology in Mexico who specializes in sports-related social studies.
He added that Diego Maradona has historically been seen as a player who defies FIFA’s authority, while Messi is presented in current rhetoric as the “beloved star” of world football, according to Gomes.
During a press conference, Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, mocked the controversy when she asked reporters which team they would support in the final, and some of those in attendance responded, “Spain… Spain.”
Argentina responds: nobody gives us anything
In turn, Lionel Messi responded to the controversies surrounding his country’s national team, stressing that Argentina deservedly reached the finals.
The captain of the Argentine national team said. “Four years ago, we achieved what we wanted, which was to play in the finals and be the best of the four years. Once again we showed that no one gives us anything.”
Whether some people like it or not,” added Messi.
In an attempt to mock the controversial image of Argentinians, one of the famous Argentinean drink brands Fernet released an ad titled “We are unbearable” in which fans from different countries appeared in group therapy, complaining about the excessive passion of Argentines for their national team.
Despite all these criticisms, there are still people who cling to the idea of continental solidarity, such as 20-year-old Peruvian student Valentino Tocto, who said: “I will support Argentina because it is a South American country.”
