The 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, won by the Spanish 1-0 on Sunday, ended surrounded by tension on and off the field. One of the moments that had the most impact, however, happened during the trophy presentation ceremony.
Argentina turns its back on Spain during the cup presentation
The 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, won by the Spanish 1-0 on Sunday, ended surrounded by tension on and off the field. One of the moments that had the most impact, however, happened during the trophy...
At the moment that Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino, presidents of the United States and FIFA, respectively, handed the cup to Rodri, captain of Spain, the Argentine players turned their backs on the stage and walked towards the fans in the stands of the MetLife Stadium.
The gesture quickly gained repercussion on social media and provoked criticism, mainly in the Spanish press, which interpreted the attitude as a lack of sportsmanship and disrespect for the traditional protocol reserved for runners-up.
According to the newspaper “AS”, the Argentine squad stopped watching the coronation of the team that had just won the final. Instead, the athletes preferred to say goodbye to the Argentine fans present at the stadium.
Still according to the publication, the attitude caused surprise among Spanish players and was also poorly received by the neutral public. The episode increased criticism of Argentina's behavior throughout the tournament
. Argentines giving support to Spain when they raised the cupWhat a poca elegance and how bad it is to know how to lose pic.twitter.com/01efTr8PRg
Dani Olmo was asked about the scene and avoided expanding the controversy, but highlighted the players' responsibility as a reference for younger players.
"It doesn't matter to us. The important thing is the values we want to transmit. We are an example for many generations and I think they should be too. Now it's time to enjoy it", said the Spaniard, according to "AS".
Aggressions and confusion...
The tension increased soon after the end of the match. Leandro Paredes was involved in a disturbance on the lawn and was accused of attacking Gavi and Eric García.
Other images circulating on social media show Molina hitting Rodri and Roberto Ayala, a member of the Argentine technical committee, hitting Dani Olmo. The repercussion of the episodes could lead FIFA to analyze possible disciplinary punishments.
molina punching the Spaniard in the stomach who was running celebrating all the punishment for the Argentine is not enough.bunch of assholes pic.twitter.com/hUgK4f8vEq
The pin that got Ayala into Dani Olmo's squad jajajaja pic.twitter.com/ykegnrGsMB
During regulation time, Argentina had already been left with one player less. Enzo Fernández received his second yellow card and was sent off after committing a harsh foul on Pau Cubarsí.
The moment when Enzo Fernández 'turned' Cubarsí, which earned him a second yellow card and a subsequent red card. © Getty Images
Scaloni claims that Argentina had dignity in defeatDespite the scenes of confusion and the gesture during the award ceremony, Lionel Scaloni defended his team's stance. The coach stated that the Argentines knew how to recognize Spain's superiority and accepted the result.
"They were better than us, that's the truth. We have dignity in victory and we must have dignity in defeat. We showed that we know how to lose. We lost this match and we accepted it, but that doesn't mean we stop living or that we forget everything we did to get here", he declared.
Emotional, Scaloni left the press conference crying after admitting that he will hardly remain in charge of the Argentine national team.
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Source: Noticias ao Minuto - Ultima Hora
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