Topline
Lionel Messi, one of soccer’s wealthiest and most famous stars, has become the subject of conspiracy theories from some World Cup watchers who accuse FIFA of displaying favoritism toward him and the Argentine team, which is set for a semifinal match against England on Wednesday afternoon.
Messi is one of soccer’s wealthiest stars, with a net worth of $1.1 billion. (Photo by Marcelo Endelli/Getty Images)
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Key Facts
Memes of Messi dressed up like a princess—some AI-generated—and cozying up to FIFA president Gianni Infantino have spread across social media, some of which have garnered hundreds of thousands of likes, as some World Cup viewers accuse the governing body of displaying favoritism toward the soccer legend.
One post on X has garnered more than 1 million views and 90,000 likes since Tuesday, accusing Infantino—who is pictured smiling—of being happy because he has, allegedly, “successfully taken out all of Messi’s competition.”
A post on TikTok, liked more than 2 million times, baselessly accuses Messi of offering to pay “millions” for additional penalty kicks, adding to a chorus of social media users who have accused him of “cheating.”
Critics have referred to Messi as “FIFA’s princess” as far back as the 2022 World Cup, but allegations of favoritism picked up steam this year after Argentina won a hotly contested match with Egypt to win 3-2 in the final minutes of the game.
Others have pointed out what has been a historically easy path to the semifinals for Argentina, which will take on No. 4-ranked England after not playing any of the top 13 teams in the FIFA rankings in the tournament so far.
Why Did The Argentina-Egypt Match Spark Favoritism Allegations?
Egypt’s coach Hossam Hassan called the game “unfair” and said his team “suffered injustice” after referees voided an Egyptian goal due to a foul and apparently declined to investigate a potential foul by Argentina. Hassan suggested FIFA “wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running.” The Egyptian Football Association also said after the game it “cannot remain silent,” saying “several key incidents raised serious concerns and left profound questions about the consistency and fairness of decisions that directly influenced the course of the game.” The Argentine Football Federation also said last week it was investigating a potential hack of its systems after mass emails were sent to reporters calling for “justice” for the Egyptian team. “The robbery will not go unnoticed,” the email said, alleging Argentina won the game thanks to “corrupt calls.”
contra
Lionel Scaloni, manager of Argentina’s national team, last week dismissed claims FIFA displays favoritism toward Messi and Argentina. “Honestly, people have been saying those kinds of things about Argentina for a very long time,” Scaloni said. “Social media magnifies everything. That’s where the debates begin. But there hasn’t been any favoritism.” Pierluigi Collina, FIFA’s refereeing chief, also denied claims of favoritism in the Argentina-Egypt match, saying “constructive discussion about decisions will always be part of football, but unfounded allegations have no place in our sport.” Collina said “nobody can claim that FIFA refereeing can be influenced by anyone, not even by the FIFA president.”
what to watch for
Argentina will face off against England in the World Cup semifinals Wednesday afternoon. The game, scheduled for 3 p.m. EDT in Atlanta, will determine who plays Spain in the final. The match is highly anticipated for the longstanding rivalry between the two teams, capped by their 1986 World Cup showdown in which Argentina’s Diego Maradona infamously scored a goal using his hand, which became known as “the hand of God.” Argentina defeated England then and went on to win the World Cup, which came shortly after hundreds died in the Falklands War as the U.K. and Argentina fought for control of islands in the south Atlantic Ocean.
forbes valuation
Messi is worth $1.1 billion, according to Forbes estimates, making him one of soccer’s wealthiest stars. He placed third on Forbes’ list of the highest-paid athletes of 2026, behind fellow soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo and boxer Canelo Alvarez. Messi ranked second on Forbes’ 2025 list of the highest-paid soccer stars, again behind Ronaldo, with earnings of $130 million. He has brand deals with companies including Adidas, Lay’s and Mastercard, and he launched a sports drink, Más+ by Messi, in 2024. Messi signed with Major League Soccer team Inter Miami in 2023.
big number
8. That’s how many goals Messi has scored at the 2026 World Cup, tying him for top scorer, alongside France’s Kylian Mbappe.
key background
FIFA is no stranger to corruption allegations, including some made against Infantino. Critics have lashed out at Infantino over his close ties to President Donald Trump, as the United States was one of this year’s World Cup host countries. Controversy especially broke out after Trump called Infantino before FIFA lifted U.S. striker Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension. Barry Andrews, an Irish member of the European Parliament, slammed FIFA as a “profoundly corrupt” organization after Trump intervened. Sepp Blatter, a former FIFA president, called the organization a “dictatorship” in February, accusing Infantino of being “submissive” to and currying favor with Trump. Blatter was FIFA’s president when it became embroiled in a corruption scandal, in which executives were charged for rigging World Cup host bids in exchange for bribes.
further reading
FIFA refereeing chief rejects claims of bias in Argentina’s win over Egypt (Reuters)