Conspiracy Theories Spread Online Over Spain's Final Win

A week after Spain's 1-0 extra-time win over Argentina, misleading claims about the final continued circulating widely online. A post viewed nearly 4 million times alleged FIFA president Gianni Infantino struck a deal with UEFA to ensure Spain won in exchange for support for his 2027 re-election bid — a claim with no supporting evidence; Argentina registered zero shots on target in 90 minutes. A second theory claimed FIFA punished Argentina for the 'Falklands are Argentine' banner Argentina players displayed after their semifinal win over England, despite no sanctions having been announced. A third theory used footage of Lionel Messi telling teammates to 'stay calm' and 'forget about everything' as supposed evidence of pre-match threats — footage that fuller context showed referred to performance, not intimidation. Argentina's coaching staff and federation president dismissed all three claims.