A petition calling for Argentina to be permanently excluded from future FIFA World Cups has closed after collecting more than 23 million digital signatures.
Named "Argentina Out", the campaign ended with 23,316,108 reported supporters from around 170 countries, according to reports.
Its organisers initially targeted five million signatures but comfortably surpassed that figure as criticism followed Lionel Messi and his teammates throughout the 2026 tournament.
The petition finished just over one million signatures short of the 24,319,181 names attached to the Jubilee 2000 movement, which Guinness World Records recognises as the petition with the most hand-signed supporters.
However, the viral campaign does not constitute a formal disciplinary complaint and has no power by itself to remove Argentina from a FIFA competition.
Why The Argentina World Cup Ban Petition Went Viral
The campaign gathered momentum after Argentina's controversial 3-2 victory over Egypt in the round of 16.
Some supporters accused FIFA and the match officials of favouring La Albiceleste and Messi, with several refereeing and VAR decisions coming under intense scrutiny.
The organisers claimed that Argentina's continued participation denied the remaining countries a fair opportunity to win the tournament.
Nevertheless, the petition did not provide evidence that matches had been fixed or that FIFA had predetermined the eventual champions.
Online anger continued growing as Argentina progressed through the knockout stages. More than 12 million people had reportedly supported the campaign by July 17, before the final total climbed beyond 23 million.
The campaign ultimately became one of the most widely supported petitions in history, although the huge number of signatures did not turn its allegations into a sporting or legal verdict.
How Argentina's World Cup Campaign Increased The Backlash
Argentina still reached the final after defeating England 2-1 in the semi-finals, giving Messi the opportunity to win consecutive World Cups.
However, Spain secured a 1-0 victory and ended the South American side's title defence. The game and its aftermath brought further controversy involving several Argentina players.
Enzo Fernandez was sent off following a challenge on Pau Cubarsi towards the end of normal time. After the final whistle, Nahuel Molina appeared to strike Spain captain Rodri, while Leandro Paredes became involved in confrontations with Eric Garcia and Gavi.
FIFA subsequently appointed a Disciplinary and Ethics Prosecutor to investigate possible breaches of its disciplinary code arising from the post-match incidents.
The governing body is also examining Argentina's celebrations after their semi-final victory, when players displayed a banner carrying a political message concerning the Falkland Islands.
These incidents occurred after the petition had already attracted millions of signatures. Likewise, they added more attention to the campaign before its organisers closed it following Argentina's defeat and thanked Spain for stopping the defending champions.
Could FIFA Actually Ban Argentina From Future FIFA World Cups?
Despite its reach, the petition has no official authority over Argentina's eligibility for future tournaments. FIFA can punish players, officials and member associations when its disciplinary rules are breached.
An official investigation would be mandated alongside a decision from the governing body for a suspension.
However, the sanctioned investigation is looking into the disciplinary actions of multiple individuals during the semi-final and final.
Likewise, FIFA has not made any announcement that hints towards Argentina's future presence in the World Cup.
The Guinness World Record comparison might also be committing a categorical error. Jubilee 2000 is the petition with the most hand-signed signatures.
The "Argentina Out" campaign, on the other hand, ran digitally while also collecting names through the same format.
Therefore, Guinness might not have considered the petition qualified for the same category as the Jubilee 2000 one.
Nevertheless, Guinness would've also had to verify the signatures if the record was surpassed, making sure that each one of them came from different distinguished individuals.
While Argentina is very likely not to face a team-level punishment, multiple individuals will be weeded out and face sanctions for their actions during the tournament.
