The 2026 World Cup has been an event filled with highs and lows. People came together to support their favorite teams and players, but this year has seen an interesting turn of events. One country has gradually begun to assume the villain role in the eyes of fans.
Argentina is no stranger to the World Cup, as it’s home to some of the most notable athletes within the Soccer industry, the most popular being Lionel Messi. One would think that its country’s team would be the one most fans would root for, but this World Cup exposed many people, especially Americans, to the complex social-political reputation Argentina has with Latin America and the rest of the world, particularly within soccer.
Argentinian fans and their soccer team have become infamous for misconduct and incidents of racism against other teams across many past World Cup events, and this year was no different. Both within the stadiums and online, many Argentina fans have posted racist posts and images mocking other teams and players.
One of the most notable incidents involved popular black online streamer iShowSpeed, who, when watching Argentina’s knockout stage matches against Cape Verde and Egypt live, was subjected to racist behavior by Argentina fans, which was caught on camera. Speed had previously traveled to Argentina in 2025, where he was subjected to similar bouts of racism by some Argentine citizens.
The popularity of Speed skyrocketed the online backlash against Argentina fans and shed light on many within the US who weren’t aware of these things occurring in the soccer world.
