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Over 23 million signatures for Argentina's exclusion from the World Cup, petition goes viral

Politiko 2026-07-23 20:35:56

Over 23 million signatures for Argentina's exclusion from the World Cup,

An online petition calling for Argentina's permanent exclusion from the World Cup has grown exponentially, collecting more than 23 million signatures from around 170 countries around the world.

The campaign titled "Argentina Out" was launched during the 2026 World Cup and became one of the largest petitions in the history of online platforms, significantly exceeding the initial target of 5 million signatures.

Its initiators accused FIFA and the referees of favoring Argentina and its captain, Lionel Messi, claiming that the team's results were influenced by arbitrary decision-making.

"Why should other teams play in the tournament if the winner is known in advance? Exclude Argentina from the World Cup and give everyone an equal opportunity," the petition text said.

However, Argentina failed to win the 2026 World Cup, losing 1-0 to Spain in the final. During their run to the tournament, the Argentine team faced numerous controversies over refereeing decisions, particularly in their match against Egypt in the knockout stage.

Despite a record number of supporters, the petition had no impact on FIFA's decisions. Organizers claimed that the world football body ignored the request, and after Argentina's defeat in the final, they closed the campaign with the message: "FIFA ignored us, but Spain kept its promise... thank you Spain."

According to reports, the petition also came close to the world record for the largest number of signatures in an online campaign, a record currently held by the "Jubilee 2000" initiative, which collected over 24 million signatures for debt forgiveness for poor countries.

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