According to a report by GOAL on Wednesday July 22, 2026, an Argentine psychologist has made a bizarre claim that the Argentina national team was allegedly instructed to lose their 2026 FIFA World Cup final against Spain.
Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 after extra time at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday, July 19, with Ferran Torres scoring the decisive goal in the 106th minute to secure La Roja's second World Cup title.
However, the nature of Argentina's performance in the final has led to questions from some supporters and observers, particularly because Lionel Scaloni's team struggled to create attacking opportunities throughout the match.
Argentina failed to register a single shot on target during the 120 minutes of football, while Lionel Messi managed just one attempt, which was blocked. The Argentina captain had entered the final after an outstanding tournament in which he recorded eight goals and four assists in seven matches.
The psychologist, whose comments were shared by Argentine news outlet MDZ, claimed that she noticed unusual aspects of Argentina's performance and suggested that the team had been ordered to lose.
"There's no doubt that the Argentine National Team was ordered to lose. As a psychologist, I'm trained to see and hear what's left unsaid. And in Sunday's match, I saw strange things. They treated us like fools and put on a show," she said.
The claim has not been supported by any evidence, but it comes after a final in which Argentina adopted a highly defensive approach against Spain.
Emiliano Martinez was reportedly forced to make 11 saves as Spain dominated large periods of the contest. Argentina appeared more focused on remaining compact and preventing Spain from creating clear chances than on taking control of the game themselves.
The match remained goalless after 90 minutes, but Spain eventually broke the deadlock in extra time when Torres found the decisive goal in the 106th minute. Argentina were unable to respond and surrendered the World Cup title to Spain.
The lack of attacking threat from Argentina has been one of the most discussed aspects of the final. The defending champions became the first team to record zero shots on target in a World Cup final, while Messi, who had been one of the tournament's most influential players, was unable to make the expected impact.
Despite the psychologist's allegations, there is no evidence that Argentina deliberately lost the match or were instructed to do so. The team's conservative approach can also be attributed to Spain's quality and their ability to control possession and limit Argentina's attacking options.
The defeat represented another painful moment in Argentina's World Cup history. The South American giants have now lost four World Cup finals, having previously suffered defeats in 1930, 1990 and 2014. They have joined Germany as the only nations to lose four finals in the history of the competition.
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