Argentina lost the 2026 FIFA World Cup final to Spain. Many have questioned the defending champions’ performance in the final. While fans were spreading conspiracy theories about the match, Argentine video analyst Matias Manna gave a different account.
Spain won their second World Cup title on Sunday night (July 19) after defeating Argentina 1-0 in the final in New Jersey, USA. Ferran Torres scored the winning goal in the 106th minute of extra time at MetLife Stadium.
Argentina became the first team in World Cup history to fail to take a single shot during the 90 minutes of a final. La Albiceleste also failed to put a single shot on target in extra time. After the final, a few clips of Argentina captain Lionel Messi went viral on social media. In them, Messi can be heard telling his teammates, “Stay calm, forget everything, and just focus on the game.” Following the viral clip, many people speculated about a conspiracy behind the defeat on social media.
Manna, the head video analyst for the Argentina national team, has directly denied the allegations. In an interview at the Urbana Play Vuelta media event, he said, “I watched the final two or three more times. The same thing happened in the 2022 final — just as I didn’t analyze extra time then, I didn’t this time either. In extra time, emotions play a bigger role, and the tactical aspect matters relatively less. But after analyzing the entire match, I saw that Spain played much better.”
He added, “Spain was ahead throughout the match. But the way Argentina played also bears our own identity — short passes, coordinated football, that’s the Argentine style. I hope our youth teams will play the same type of football even 15 years from now.”
Expressing gratitude for the World Cup journey, Manna said, “I am grateful for this experience. The best way to express that gratitude is to work at your best. The entire coaching staff and players, led by Scaloni, have done that. They have built an extraordinary team.”
Regarding the conspiracy theories surrounding the World Cup final, Manna said, “Such talk arises after a loss or whenever there is any doubt. Especially on social media, everything spreads instantly. If someone says something, it gets interpreted differently. But what happened on the field is the truth. The team that played well in that match should be congratulated, and we should move forward.”
Earlier, Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni and assistant coach Roberto Fabián Ayala made similar comments, acknowledging Spain’s deserved victory and urging fans not to get drawn into the controversy.
