Leandro Paredes Faces FIFA Disciplinary Proceedings After World Cup Final
Leandro Paredes faces the prospect of becoming the Argentina player hit hardest by FIFA after world football’s governing body formally opened disciplinary proceedings into the ugly scenes that followed the 2026 World Cup final between Argentina and Spain.
The midfielder sits at the heart of the investigation – and at the sharp end of the potential punishments.
Paredes at the centre of FIFA’s case
According to the disciplinary file, Paredes has been charged with three separate acts of aggression. Three individual counts, each treated as a distinct offense. That places him in the most precarious position of any player currently under scrutiny.
Under FIFA’s Disciplinary Code, any act of aggression against an opponent or any other person who is not a match official brings a minimum suspension of three matches per offense. Do the math and the theoretical ceiling is stark: up to nine games on the sidelines.
History suggests the final figure will be lower. Previous high-profile cases point more realistically to a ban in the region of five or six matches for a player in his situation. Even that, though, would rank among the toughest individual sanctions to come out of this World Cup.
Molina, Ayala and others drawn in
Paredes is not alone in the dock.
Nahuel Molina has been charged with two acts of aggression – one completed, one attempted – leaving the full-back also exposed to a multi-game suspension if the charges are upheld.
On the bench, Argentina assistant coach Roberto Fabián Ayala faces his own aggression charge. For a member of the technical staff, any suspension would bite into his presence on the touchline and at training, a direct hit on Lionel Scaloni’s backroom structure.
The net stretches wider still. Thiago Almada has reportedly been cited for unsporting conduct, an offense that carries a minimum one-match ban under FIFA rules. Spain midfielder Gavi has been hit with the same allegation, underlining that the fallout from the final is not confined to one dressing room.
AFA under heavy scrutiny
The investigation goes beyond individual flashpoints.
FIFA has also opened proceedings against the Argentine Football Association (AFA) itself. The list of alleged violations is long and serious: discriminatory chants and gestures, failures to comply with match and security protocols, delays to kickoff, inappropriate messages displayed by players and supporters, and the throwing of objects.
If those breaches are proven, the consequences could be far-reaching. A substantial financial penalty is on the table. So is the most damaging punishment of all for a footballing nation: partial or even full stadium closures for future home fixtures.
Empty seats, silenced songs, a national team playing in a stripped-back arena – that is the spectre now hanging over Argentine football.
What happens next
For now, these are charges, not verdicts. FIFA has opened disciplinary proceedings but has not yet imposed sporting or financial sanctions on any of the individuals or associations involved.
Both the AFA and the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) will be able to submit evidence, contest the accusations, and present their version of events. Only once that process is complete will FIFA’s disciplinary bodies decide which charges stand and what punishments follow.
When that decision arrives, it will not just close the book on one of the most chaotic endings to a World Cup final in recent memory. It will also shape how Argentina – and some of its biggest names – step into the next cycle of the world game.
