The Argentina national team has been hit with severe FIFA sanctions totaling 21 games of bans for players and staff following the incidents after the 2026 World Cup final. The punishments were confirmed this week in a report by The New York Times and come as the team tops its qualifying group with 9 points from 3 wins.
What specific bans did each individual receive?
Midfielder Leandro Paredes faces the longest prohibition. FIFA handed him a 10-game suspension and a $90,000 fine for three counts of assault. Defender Nahuel Molina received a 7-game ban and another $90,000 fine for two similar charges. Attacking midfielder Thiago Almada was punished with a 1-game ban and $30,000 for unsporting behavior.
Team official Roberto Ayala did not escape consequences. The former defender and current staff member was suspended for 3 games and fined $30,000 for one count of assault. The Argentine Football Association (AFA) was also sanctioned with a $310,000 fine and must play its next home match with a 50% stadium closure.
What triggered these unprecedented sanctions?
Everything unfolded after the 2026 World Cup final at MetLife Stadium, where Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in extra time. The defeat, which is the last result recorded in our stats, sparked a mass altercation on the pitch. Footage showed Paredes apparently throwing Spain's Gavi to the floor, with Gavi also facing a charge for unsporting behavior.
The AFA received additional charges for 'using a sports event for demonstrations of a non-sporting nature', 'discrimination and racist abuse', and issues with 'order and security at matches'. These include the semi-final incident against England, where Argentine players celebrated with a banner reading 'Las Malvinas son Argentinas' at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
How do these punishments compare to other historical bans?
Paredes's 10-game ban matches one of the harshest individual FIFA sanctions in international football. In December 2013, Croatia defender Josip Simunic received a 10-game ban for leading a chant with reported pro-fascist connotations after a playoff against Iceland. Simunic said at the time: "For the homeland."
Other notable sanctions include the lifetime ban for Chilean goalkeeper Roberto Rojas in 1989, for faking an injury with a razor blade during a qualifier against Brazil. That ban was lifted in 2001. In 1994, Diego Maradona was suspended for 15 months after testing positive for ephedrine during the World Cup in the United States.
In recent club football, FIFA extended worldwide the 6-game ban that UEFA imposed on Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni for homophobic conduct in a Champions League match against Real Madrid in February 2026. Had he been selected for the World Cup, Prestianni would have missed Argentina's first two games.
What does this mean for Argentina's future?
The sanctions will affect the availability of key players for Argentina's upcoming official matches. The team, which currently has a record of 4 wins and 1 loss in its last five games, will need to regroup. With 8 goals scored and just 1 conceded in the qualifying phase, the defensive solidity shown in our standings becomes even more important.
The AFA has a second one-game partial stadium closure sanction suspended, subject to a probationary period. This adds pressure to maintain order in upcoming home fixtures. Fans can follow the composition of the team affected by these suspensions on our squad page. The path to defending the world title has become more complicated following these historic disciplinary punishments.
