An online petition has sparked controversy on social media platforms after reports circulated that it had garnered millions of signatures demanding that the Argentine national team be banned from participating in the World Cup in the future.
The petition, named Argentina Out, was launched during the 2026 World Cup competitions, after the number of signatories exceeded 23.3 million people from about 170 countries, according to what was published by several networks such as RMC and Eurosport , making it one of the most widespread petitions in history, and approaching the record recorded in the Guinness Book of Records.
Its organizers accused FIFA and some referees of bias towards the Argentine national team during the tournament, demanding that all teams be given what they described as "equal opportunities" in the competition.
The petition's spread coincided with the refereeing controversy that accompanied some of Argentina's matches, especially during the knockout stages, before the "Tango" team lost the final match against Spain with a score of 1-0.
Reports indicated that the number of signatories on the petition brought it close to entering the Guinness Book of World Records, as it was less than one million signatures away from the record for the most signed petition in history.
This number is still recorded in the name of the "Jubilee 2000" campaign, which was launched in 1997 to demand the cancellation of the debts of poor countries, and succeeded at the time in collecting more than 24 million signatures, according to the Guinness Book of Records.
Despite the widespread online dissemination of the petition, FIFA has not issued any comment on it, nor has it had any legal or sporting effect, as electronic petitions do not obligate the international federation to take any disciplinary action against the participating teams.
Observers considered the petition to reflect the state of division among football fans after the tournament, while others saw it as merely a means of expressing an opinion, without having any real impact on FIFA's decisions.
