"The World Cup is 20% soccer and 80% colonial resentment." That line, from a Portuguese-language post on X, might be the most honest thing written about this tournament so far.
Argentina didn't become the internet's most hated team overnight. It took decades of football rivalry, a complicated national identity, a few genuinely controversial refereeing calls, and one very divisive name: Lionel Messi. Scroll through TikTok or X for five minutes on the World Cup side, and the sentiment is unmistakable — a large, loud portion of the internet wants La Albiceleste to lose.
The Egypt match poured fuel on the fire
Argentina's 3-2 comeback win over Egypt in the Round of 16 was the flashpoint du jour. Egypt filed a formal complaint with FIFA over VAR decisions and officiating. Their head coach, Hossam Hassan, went further — suggesting FIFA wanted Messi to stay in the tournament. FIFA has not substantiated that claim. BBC Sport analyzed the match and concluded the officiating was controversial but fell short of conspiracy-level interference.
Still, perception matters. And FIFA's own choices haven't helped. Appointing an all-Argentine on-field officiating crew for France's quarterfinal against Morocco — as BBC Sport noted — was, to put it diplomatically, not a great look.
The anti-Argentina feeling runs on multiple tracks simultaneously, and that's what makes it so loud online.
It's not just the referee decisions
Geography, history, and football rivalry all feed into the pile-on. Brazil and Argentina have spent over a century fighting for Latin American supremacy. Mexico has watched Argentina end their World Cup campaigns repeatedly. England still connects Argentina to Maradona and the Falklands. France is still processing 2022. These aren't new grudges — they're old ones that the World Cup format reignites every four years.
Then there's the identity question, which has become impossible to separate from the football conversation. After Argentina won the 2024 Copa América, the French Football Federation filed a complaint with FIFA over racist and discriminatory remarks in a chant sung by Argentina players targeting France's squad. Enzo Fernández apologized. Chelsea opened a disciplinary process. The story didn't go away.
It resurfaced again at this World Cup. FIFA is investigating allegations of racist abuse directed at YouTube creator iShowSpeed during Argentina's Round of 32 win over Cape Verde, after footage from his livestream appeared to capture an altercation with an Argentina supporter. The investigation is ongoing.
- Argentina beat Egypt 3-2 in a disputed Round of 16 match
- Egypt filed a formal complaint with FIFA over officiating
- BBC Sport found controversy but no evidence of conspiracy
- FIFA is investigating alleged racist abuse toward iShowSpeed during Argentina vs. Cape Verde
- The 2024 Copa América chant incident involving Fernández remains part of the wider conversation
None of this makes every Argentina fan complicit. That's too simple a read. But it does explain why some Latin American and Black football fans are processing this year's incidents through a much longer history — one in which Argentina's self-image as a white, European nation within Latin America has long been contested by historians, sociologists, and the countries around it.
The team defending their World Cup title is simultaneously one of the tournament's most supported and most resented. That tension isn't going away. FIFA's investigation into the iShowSpeed incident is still open.
