Three Argentina players suspended for World Cup final scuffle

Three Argentine players and an assistant coach have been sanctioned by FIFA following the violent post-match confrontation with Spain in the 2026 World Cup final, held on July 19 in New York-New Jersey Stadium. The disciplinary actions, announced on August 21, saw Leandro Paredes receive the most severe punishment, a 10-match suspension and a US$90,000 fine.

Nahuel Molina, Thiago Almada, and Roberto Ayala were each given seven, one, and three match bans respectively, along with US$90,000, $30,000, and $30,000 fines. Spain midfielder Pablo Gavi received a one-match suspension and a US$30,000 fine. The separate disciplinary cases against the players arose from violations of FIFA's Article 14, paragraph 1(i), which covers aggression incidents.

The individual charges led to Paredes facing the longest ban and Molina the second-longest, while Almada and Gavi received shorter one-match suspensions, and Ayala got three matches. The Spanish federation's assistant coach, Roberto Ayala, received a three-match suspension. In addition to the individual sanctions, FIFA imposed a US$321,000 fine against the Argentine Football Association (AFA) for various infractions, including the use of sporting events for non-sporting demonstrations, team misconduct, discrimination, and security breaches.

The discriminatory chants and gestures by Argentina supporters contributed to the penalty. AFA must restrict stadium attendance to 50% for its next two home matches and allocate $100,000 of the fine towards fighting discrimination. The financial and attendance penalties will remain in effect unless the association appeals the decision.

The suspensions, however, will only apply to Argentina's subsequent matches unless the appealing process alters them.