More than 23 million football fans have signed an online petition calling for Argentina to be permanently banned from future FIFA World Cups following the controversy surrounding the 2026 tournament.

The petition, titled "Argentina Out", gathered more than 23.3 million signatures from supporters across 170 countries before closing, making it one of the largest online petitions ever created and falling just short of the Guinness World Record for the most signatures on a petition.

The campaign was launched amid growing criticism of Argentina's conduct throughout the tournament, with supporters accusing the team of repeated unsporting behaviour and alleging they benefited from controversial refereeing decisions. The backlash intensified following the World Cup final, where Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 after extra time, before post-match scenes involving several Argentina players sparked further scrutiny. FIFA has since opened an investigation into the incidents following the final, although there is no indication the petition will have any bearing on Argentina's future participation in FIFA competitions.

The petition claims FIFA and tournament officials showed bias towards Argentina during the competition, arguing that the integrity of the World Cup had been undermined. It also questioned whether other nations had been given a fair opportunity to compete under what supporters described as inconsistent officiating.

Despite attracting millions of signatures, the campaign has no legal standing, and there is currently no mechanism under FIFA regulations that would see Argentina banned from future World Cups as a result of a public petition. Argentina also remain scheduled to participate as one of the co-host nations for the 2030 World Cup.

The petition has prompted a huge response online, with supporters of the campaign sharing their reasons for signing. One person wrote:

"It was too rigged man.. the Argentina vs Egypt game was where I stopped enjoying the World Cup."

Another added:

"The people are waking up!"

A third commented:

"Can they re-open, my 8 siblings, our kids and I still need to add our signatures."

Meanwhile, another supporter said:

"They definitely should be banned for the next one after that digusting behaviour after the final! Absolutely disgraceful!"

The petition comes just days after more than 80,000 Argentina supporters launched a separate campaign calling on FIFA to replay the World Cup final, claiming the match had been affected by a "corrupt" referee. FIFA has not responded publicly to either petition, and there is nothing to suggest the governing body will revisit the final or consider banning Argentina from future tournaments.