Weekend Newsletter: the World Cup conspiracy Argentina can't let go

By&nbspMaria Tadeo Published on 26/07/2026 - 14:47 GMT+2 Share Comments Add Euronews on Google Share Facebook Twitter Flipboard Send Reddit Linkedin Messenger Telegram VK Bluesky Threads Whatsapp Every weekend, Euronews Editor-in-Chief Maria Tadeo unpacks the stories shaping the zeitgeist in her newsletter, 'Off the Record'. This week: the viral conspiracy theories claiming Argentina was cheated out of the World Cup - and what they reveal about the post-truth debate. Welcome back.

Of course, let me start with the most important news of the week: Spain won the World Cup. Surprised? Well, you shouldn't be, because bad punditry aside (and there was plenty of it) it was the logical conclusion.

ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Football is a team sport, and that's something the Spanish have mastered, because it's a system, a school of thought, that defines the game, not a star player. The coach can swap midfielders, you won't notice it on the pitch because the structure remains: dominate passes, own the ball and ultimately score. There was something of poetic justice to it too, and I can only point you to Brazilian newscaster Bruno Cantarelli, who captured the winning goal scored by Barcelona striker Ferran Torres with the most memorable analysis of the final.

O futebol vence a catimba - he shouted at the top of his lungs. What does it mean? It's difficult to describe because it's a vibe, and Brazilian Portuguese is brilliant at capturing that.

Sometimes you have to drop the literal translation and follow the melody of the words instead. But if I had to give a very broad description, it's the idea that football – with a capital F, o jogo bonito, the beautiful game – triumphed over catimba: the provocation, the cheating, and the lying. In other words, Spain represented football in its purest form; Argentina represented a catimba.

I know that's going to get me some hate mail. But let me explain: ​ Was Argentina the bête noire of the competition? Certainly.

Is Enzo Fernández the most unpopular player? I'd say most definitely, perhaps only topped by his teammate Leandro Paredes. Does Argentina play rough?

Absolutely. The final's red card over Cubarsí speaks for itself. Do Argentines relish the role of the villain?

This is where it gets interesting. And borderline psychotic (but fun). While the world spoke of karma being served, Argentinians saw a plot by FIFA to dethrone Messi.

An international hate campaign against the country involving Infantino, the FBI (yes, you heard that right), the UK Royal Family and Lamine Yamal. Sounds hysterical? It is and it's also a test case for post-truth society.

For hours on end, Argentine TV shows shared pseudo-theories explaining why their national football team lost the final. First, a ploy by FIFA to crown Lamine Yamal, the 19-year-old Spanish striker, as the next global superstar destined to replace Messi, now 39, in some sort of messianic rite of passage. This one is good, but it's not my personal favourite.

A softer version of this "theory" suggested that Infantino, the FIFA boss, no longer wants the same country to win twice in order to balance out nationalities and bring in more cash. Then, there was the imminent FBI arrest of the Argentine football association boss, Claudio "Chiqui" Tapia. To be clear, he was not arrested.

Still Argentine players, the story goes, began to fear that special forces would break into their locker room, destabilising their game plan. This would "explain" why Messi was caught on tape telling his teammates: "Forget about everything, let's just play." There was also King Charles.

The theory goes that the British Crown sought to punish the Argentine players for a banner waved in their semi-final against England reading: Las Malvinas son argentinas, or "the Falklands belong to Argentina" alongside FIFA. Facing a penalty (allegedly) including a 10-year suspension, the noble Argentines decided they would let Spain win in a game in which they barely touched the ball. Lastly, there was the politics.

Argentina losing the final would be part of a global campaign led by the football Comintern of woke to destroy the country's reputation, hurt Javier Milei and his chainsaw revolution, and push the left-wing, progressive propaganda of the Spanish instead. Punchy, but overdone. I believe the Russians and a Bolivian army of bots were involved, but the details here became so unhinged that I ultimately lost track of the many twists and turns.

Unfortunately, reality is far more boring than that, and it cannot match the Argentine genius for theatrics – and I mean this as a compliment. Spain dominated the game, with a 68% possession rate. If you can't touch the ball, you can't win.

Spain took 20 shots, 11 of them on target, doubled Argentina's passes, and had a higher accuracy rate too. Argentina had Fernández sent off, while Spain kept their squad practically intact. Scaloni's substitutions didn't really make a difference, while bringing on Ferran led to a goal for Spain