Argentina World Cup ban petition nears record with more than 23m signatures

An online petition calling for Argentina to be permanently banned from the World Cup has attracted more than 23 million signatures worldwide – putting it on the brink of becoming the most‐signed petition in history.

The campaign, titled “Argentina Out”, alleges that world governing body Fifa and match officials have shown repeated bias in favour of the Argentina national team and captain Lionel Messi, and demands that the reigning world champions be excluded from future tournaments.

Despite its extraordinary reach, football’s world governing body has not responded and Argentina’s participation in international competitions remains unaffected.

Petition smashes its original target

According to outlets including RMCSport and Eurosport, “Argentina Out” has been signed by 23,316,108 people from around 170 countries, vastly surpassing its original goal of five million signatures.

The petition text accuses Fifa and referees of favouring Argentina during World Cup 2026, and questions the point of other teams taking part.

It states: “Why should the rest of the national teams play in the tournament if the winner is known in advance? Exclude Argentina from the World Cup and give everyone a fair chance.”

The organisers’ figures put the petition within striking distance of the all‐time record for signatures.

Close to breaking Guinness World Record

Reports say the petition is now fewer than one million signatures short of the Guinness World Record for the most‐signed petition ever.

That record is currently held by the “Jubilee 2000” campaign, launched in 1997 to press for the cancellation of debts owed by the world’s poorest countries. According to Guinness World Records, that initiative collected more than 24 million signatures.

“Argentina Out” is now approaching that benchmark, driven by global debate about refereeing decisions and the status of Lionel Messi’s national team.

World Cup controversy – but no title for Argentina

The petition emerged during the 2026 World Cup, a tournament in which Argentina’s run was accompanied by repeated complaints about officiating – particularly surrounding their last‐16 tie against Egypt.

However, the controversy did not end with another triumph for Messi’s side. Argentina fell short in the final, losing 1-0 to Spain.

Following that defeat, head coach Lionel Scaloni was widely reported to have broken down in tears again while speaking candidly about the World Cup final, though those remarks were separate from the “Argentina Out” campaign.

Fifa unmoved as organisers hail Spain

Despite the scale of the petition, there has been no indication that Fifa is considering any change to Argentina’s status.

The governing body has not publicly addressed the demands and there is no mechanism within its regulations that would allow such a petition, on its own, to trigger disciplinary action against a national team.

After Argentina’s loss to Spain in the final, the petition’s organisers updated their message with a pointed closing line: “Fifa ignored us, but Spain kept its promise… Thank you Spain.”

No legal or sporting impact

For all the noise surrounding it, “Argentina Out” remains an online protest without legal force.

Argentina continue to be eligible for all Fifa‐sanctioned competitions, and there has been no suggestion from any official body that their place in future World Cups is under threat.

The petition has nonetheless highlighted the intensity of feeling – and polarisation – that surrounds Lionel Messi’s Argentina on the global stage, and has raised wider questions over refereeing standards and perceptions of fairness at the World Cup.