According to an FBI report, multiple death threats were directed at Lionel Messi during the World Cup, including one that was very serious and involved an alleged plot to murder the soccer star inside a stadium.
The threats against Lionel Messi were detailed in an American law enforcement report that outlines every security risk the FBI and the International Police Cooperation Center (IPCC) faced this summer at World Cup venues. The IPCC is a multi-agency tactical command hub led by the FBI to coordinate global security, intelligence-sharing, and real-time law enforcement operations for major international events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
According to the report, which Spanish media outlet Marca made public this week, Lionel Messi received more death threats than any other player in the World Cup.
In one report, a man contacted the Dallas airport and allegedly threatened to storm the stadium during Jordan’s group-stage play against Argentina with two other men armed with an AR-15 rifle and homemade bombs. The threat mentioned Messi as a specific target. The suspect also threatened to attack “police officers and players from both teams.”
In another case, a person wrote on social media that they would be “going into the Atlanta Stadium and blowing Messi up with four bombs strapped to my body.”
During that same match, someone called authorities to warn them that three bombs were hidden inside the stadium. Officials actually searched the stadium for bombs using sniffer dogs following the call, but it turned out to be a false alarm.
Lionel Messi wasn’t the only one targeted with death threats
According to the report, Cristiano Ronaldo was also targeted multiple times in threats. FIFA notified the FBI when a suspicious man persistently asked about the Portugal captain’s whereabouts. Houston police took the same individual into custody at the hotel where Portugal was staying two days later.
After refereeing the controversial Argentina-Egypt match, French referee François Letexier also reportedly received over 6,000 hate messages on his personal WhatsApp account. Willy Delajod, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) for the match, also received numerous threats.