Argentina's dramatic 3-2 victory over Egypt in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 has sparked a fresh wave of controversy, with social media users accusing FIFA of favouring Lionel Messi and the defending champions. While Argentines celebrated the euphoria of a stunning win, Egypt and the rest of the world were quick to turn and point to some of the controversial decisions taken by the referee during the match.
While Ziko scored the second of Egypt's goals, he had an earlier goal ruled out for a foul in the build up. Later, Egypt's appeals for a penalty were also denied. The African nation were also fuming at Enzo Fernandez's winner, which they believed should not have stood.
The decisions triggered an outpouring of reactions on X, where hashtags and phrases such as "FIFA Corruption Strikes Again," "Rigged for Messi," and "Egypt were robbed" gained traction. Messi had earlier been lucky to escape a red card in the group stage, which many believe is the FIFA's favourtism towards the Argentine.
Despite the controversy, Argentina advanced to the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-finals, while debate over the officiating continued to dominate social media long after the final whistle.
Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan launched a scathing attack on the officiating after his side's 3-2 defeat to Argentina, suggesting the result was influenced by factors beyond football.
"We looked better than the reigning champions, but the result was influenced by internal factors on the pitch and external factors off it. Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition and Messi to stay in the running. We were denied a penalty, our goal was disallowed without a VAR check, and we have not seen respect or fair play. We have been treated unfairly and it has been an injustice."
