FIFA has handed down severe disciplinary sanctions against Argentina following the ugly scenes that erupted after their 1-0 defeat to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final, with midfielder Leandro Paredes receiving the harshest punishment of his career.
Paredes was suspended for 10 matches after grabbing Spain’s Eric García by the throat and pushing Gavi to the ground in the aftermath of the final whistle at New York New Jersey Stadium.
The ban ranks alongside FIFA’s sanctions against Uruguay’s Luis Suárez in 2014 as one of the most severe punishments in World Cup history.Paredes was also fined $90,000.
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Argentina defender Nahuel Molina received a seven-game suspension and a matching $90,000 fine for appearing to strike Spain’s Rodri in the stomach during the confrontation.
Thiago Almada was hit with a one-match ban and a $30,000 fine, while Roberto Ayala, a member of Lionel Scaloni’s coaching staff, was suspended for three matches and fined $30,000.
Spain’s own “Pablo Martín Páez Gavira” was not spared either, receiving a one-match ban and $30,000 fine of his own for his part in the fracas.
Paredes, Molina and Ayala were each charged with “assault,” while Almada and Gavi were charged with “unsporting behaviour” under FIFA’s disciplinary code.
The federation itself did not escape punishment. FIFA fined the Argentine FA $321,000 and ruled that the team’s next two home matches must be played with attendance capped at 50 percent, citing breaches related to discriminatory chants and gestures by supporters, along with issues of order and security at matches.
In total, the combined sanctions against Argentina’s players amount to 21 matches in suspensions and more than $500,000 in fines, according to reporting on the ruling.
The severity of Paredes’s punishment is likely to be felt for some time. Given FIFA’s international calendar through June 2027, a 10-match ban effectively amounts to a year-long absence from the national team, even though the fixtures involved may largely be friendlies rather than competitive matches.
All sanctioned individuals now have 10 days to request a motivated decision and present their case, with an appeals process still available to them.
