REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
A brawl erupted after Spain's World Cup win over Argentina.
An ugly brawl erupted at the World Cup after Spain’s championship win over Argentina. The player that started the melee, Leandro Paredes, has a history of creating chaos at the event.
During the 2022 World Cup, he caused benches to clear with his on-field antics. For that reason, not many were surprised to learn that he was the instigator of the latest drama.
Paredes is a controversial player with a checkered past. He is a lightning rod for friction. He plays with passion, but his emotion often leads to negative headlines.
That’s now been the case at each of the last two World Cup events. The most recent will likely land a lengthy suspension. An investigation is reportedly underway.
BREAKING: FIFA are set to investigate the behaviour of Argentina after the final whistle at the World Cup final. 🚨 pic.twitter.com/Z1soC4thpt
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) July 20, 2026
Leandro Paredes sparks World Cup brawl.
Paredes was seen pushing, hitting, and kicking Spanish players in the moments following the final whistle. He was shown a red card as a result.
Now, he’ll await punishment. Teammates, too, could find themselves in hot water, too. While Paredes was heavily involved in the fight, he was far from the only Argentinian guilty of throwing a punch.
In fact, the first haymaker appears to have been tossed by teammate Nahuel Molina.
🚨👊🏼 IMÁGENES COMPLETAS
Aquí empezó todo. Puñetazo de Molina a Rodri. Los españoles iban sólo a celebrar (se ve mejor en siguiente tuit). Eric lo ve y va a por Molina. 👇🏼 (sigue) pic.twitter.com/f82nPpGIxM— Miguel Serrano 🇪🇸🇺🇸 (@MiguelSerranoTV) July 20, 2026
“FIFA are set to investigate the behavior of Argentina after the final whistle at the World Cup final. Leandro Paredes was shown a red card… Nahuel Molina tried to knockout Rodri… and Argentina coach Roberto Ayala attempted to punch Dani Olmo in the face,” said BBC of the investigation.
There was a lot going on. One thing is for sure, though. Paredes will not receive the benefit of the doubt as officials review the tape.
Paredes has a history of ‘thuggery.’
“What a complete and utter disgrace today.”
The FC crew reacts the Argentina’s performance vs. Spain in the World Cup final ✍️ pic.twitter.com/0iVmVVVRS3
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 19, 2026
ESPN’s FC crew called Argentina’s antics a disgrace. “We expected the antics,” they said. “We expected the thuggery… but we also expected a lot more on the ball.”
The team’s play was as ugly as the World Cup brawl. They had no shots on goal. Spain’s defense dominated the contest. Frustrations clearly boiled over after the fact.
To many, the postgame fight was not a shock. Argentina has created a narrative of chippy-ness. They push the limits with opponents.
It was witnessed in the 2022 World Cup against the Netherlands. Leandro Paredes again led the charge.
Same player who fired the ball directly into the Netherlands bench at the last World Cup https://t.co/j5BjFcpKLq pic.twitter.com/zH1qbvWmfw
— Jack Andrade (@RealJackAndrade) July 20, 2026
In the 88th minute of a tie game, he committed a foul with a sliding tackle. He then fired the ball into the Netherlands’ bench. Chaos ensued.
In that case, Paredes was given a yellow card. Argentina would win in penalty kicks before later earning a World Cup championship.
The midfielder admitted that the kick was intentional.
“The shot against the Dutch bench was on purpose. Now that enough time has passed, we can say it. It was because of the comments made by their players and the coaching staff, the ball ended up there, and I kicked it. On top of that, I missed.”
-Leandro Paredes
The 2026 World Cup brawl only fuels the narrative of dirty play. Team Argentina has a history. It will now sit back to learn the investigation’s findings.