Leandro Paredes grabbed Spain defender Eric García by the throat and drove him into the turf seconds after the final whistle of Sunday’s World Cup final. Spain won 1-0 in extra time to claim its second World Cup title, and Argentina’s title defense ended with ten men, six yellow cards and a brawl that needed teammates and coaching staff to pull apart.
The scuffle capped a tournament in which Argentina had already drawn a FIFA investigation over a political banner, collected cards through 120 minutes of football in the final alone, and watched Lionel Messi’s likely last World Cup finish without a shot on target in regulation.
Two Flashpoints in Twenty Seconds
Spain’s bench was still spilling onto the field to celebrate Ferran Torres’ 106th minute winner when the trouble started. Argentina defender Nahuel Molina appeared to swing at Spain captain Rodri, catching him in the stomach, before Paredes, on as a halftime substitute, waded into the scrum that followed.
- Molina catches Rodri in the stomach as Spain’s players rush to celebrate.
- Rodri and García confront Molina, drawing Paredes into the group.
- Paredes grips García by the throat and forces the Barcelona defender to the ground.
- Paredes turns on Spain substitute Gavi, wrestling the young midfielder down and pushing into his face.
- Teammate Thiago Almada pulls Paredes away as substitutes and coaching staff from both benches spill onto the pitch.
Referee Slavko Vinčić, standing a few yards away with Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni in view, showed Paredes a red card for violent conduct, Argentina’s second sending off of the night.
Paredes threw two or three haymakers into someone’s face. He went for them. There is no place or space for that.
Alan Shearer, the former England striker, said on BBC One after the final whistle. Gary Neville, watching on ITV, called the scene “a disgrace,” saying he loved “the competitiveness of the Argentines, fighting and scrapping for their lives,” but that it had “been a disgrace the last few games.”
Argentina Played the Last Half Hour a Man Down
The ugliness did not begin at the whistle. Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernández was sent off in the 90th minute for a foul on Spain defender Pau Cubarsí, leaving Scaloni’s side to see out the rest of normal time and all of extra time with ten men. Argentina finished with six yellow cards and did not manage a single shot on target across 90 minutes of regulation.
Torres, introduced from the bench, broke the deadlock in the 106th minute to win it for European champions Spain and hand them their second World Cup, following their 2010 win over the Netherlands in South Africa. Argentina had arrived in New Jersey chasing a piece of history of its own: a win would have made it just the third team ever to defend the World Cup, joining Italy and Brazil as repeat champions. The match was played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in front of a crowd that had booed U.S. President Donald Trump moments after the national anthem.
The Banner That Came Four Days Earlier
Argentina’s disciplinary trouble in New Jersey was not a standalone incident. Four days earlier, after beating England 2-1 in the Atlanta semifinal, Argentina defender Lisandro Martínez and unused substitute Giovani Lo Celso held up a banner reading “Las Malvinas son Argentinas,” meaning the Falklands belong to Argentina, as teammates celebrated around them.
British officials called on FIFA to investigate. U.K. Business Secretary Peter Kyle called the players’ celebration entirely inappropriate, and a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the World Cup might not belong to Britain, but the islands do. Argentina President Javier Milei called the display “perfectly valid” while conceding players “get carried away by their emotions, they act on impulse, and that will likely lead to discussions about a fine.”
FIFA has been here before. Argentine players showed the same banner ahead of the 2014 World Cup, and the disciplinary panel’s ruling, issued only after that tournament ended, fined the federation 30,000 Swiss francs in 2014, worth roughly $37,000. By kickoff of Sunday’s final, Argentina was already carrying an open FIFA file into the biggest game of its year.
Finals Have Gone Ugly Before
World Cup finals have carried this kind of edge before. The record for yellow cards in a final stood at six, shared by Argentina and West Germany in 1986, until the Netherlands and Spain combined for fourteen in Johannesburg in 2010. John Heitinga was sent off that day for a second yellow, and Nigel de Jong’s studs up kick into Xabi Alonso’s chest drew only a caution, one of the most flagrant fouls in history to go unpunished by a red card.
Referee Howard Webb, who worked that final, later said he felt gutted beyond belief missing that tackle once he saw replays at halftime. Spain has now finished on the physical end of two of the most notorious finals in the tournament’s history, absorbing De Jong’s kick in 2010 and Paredes’ throat grab sixteen years later.
What Comes Next for Paredes and Argentina
Paredes’ red card carries an automatic one match ban under FIFA’s disciplinary code. Because Argentina’s tournament is already over, any unserved suspension rolls forward under FIFA rules, which state that a ban “that cannot be served during the FIFA World Cup 26 will be carried over to the representative team’s next official match.”
FIFA said in a statement that its independent disciplinary committee is “currently assessing the match reports and considering the relevant circumstances before deciding on potential further steps.” The Argentine Football Association could face its own sanction if FIFA finds the federation failed to control its players’ conduct, separate from any action against Paredes or Molina individually.
- What we know: Paredes was sent off for violent conduct and faces at least a one match ban; FIFA’s committee is reviewing referee reports and broadcast footage; the banner case from the semifinal remains open.
- What’s unconfirmed: how many matches Paredes ultimately misses; whether Molina faces a separate charge over the Rodri incident; the size of any fine tied to the banner investigation.
Recent precedent gives a wide range of outcomes, from a caution to a multi match ban:
| Incident | Year | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Falklands banner, Argentina warmup game | 2014 | Federation fined 30,000 Swiss francs (about $37,000) |
| “Dokdo” territorial banner, South Korea’s Park Jong-woo | 2012 | Player banned for two World Cup qualifiers |
| Nigel de Jong’s kick on Xabi Alonso | 2010 | Yellow card only, no suspension |
| Paredes’ throat grab on García | 2026 | Red card, automatic one match ban, review pending |
Was This Lionel Messi’s Last World Cup Game?
Nobody has said, including his own coach. Messi is 39, was making his sixth World Cup appearance, and has given no indication of international retirement, while Scaloni told reporters after the final he has no idea whether it was Messi’s last game.
Messi finished the tournament having scored eight goals through seven games and chasing the Golden Boot, and leaves his World Cup career with 34 games played, 21 goals and 12 assists, more of each than any player in the competition’s history. Away from the scrum, most of the postgame scenes were peaceful. Spain’s players sought out Messi, and Scaloni and Spain coach Luis de la Fuente shared a long embrace at midfield.
“I have no idea if this is Leo’s last game, you will have to ask him,” Scaloni said. “We haven’t discussed it.”
Scaloni tried to draw a line under the night on his own terms. “We are gracious in victory, and we must be so in defeat,” he said. “We accept the loss; we gave everything.” Then, simply: “You lose, and you have to pick yourself up again.”
Frequently Asked Questions
How long will Leandro Paredes be suspended?
His red card triggers an automatic one match ban. FIFA’s disciplinary committee is reviewing footage of the throat grab and the shove on Gavi, and a longer ban is considered likely. Because Argentina’s World Cup is over, any unserved suspension carries over to the team’s next official match under FIFA’s disciplinary code.
Did Argentina get punished for the Falklands banner?
Not yet. FIFA said its committee is still assessing match reports from the banner display after the England semifinal. The closest precedent dates to 2014, when the federation was fined 30,000 Swiss francs for the same banner, though FIFA’s typical fines for political messaging at events have run closer to $5,000 to $20,000.
Is this Lionel Messi’s last World Cup?
Messi has not said either way. He would turn 43 during the 2030 tournament, and Scaloni said after the final he has “no idea” whether it was Messi’s last game, adding that the two had not discussed it.
What was the final score of the 2026 World Cup final?
Spain won 1-0 after extra time on Ferran Torres’ 106th minute goal at MetLife Stadium, giving Spain its second World Cup title after 2010. It also left the two nations’ head to head World Cup record tied at one win apiece.
