Argentina appeals to CAS to contest FIFA sanctions following 2026 World Cup final

The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has announced its intention to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), based in Lausanne, to contest the sanctions imposed by FIFA following the incidents that occurred after the 2026 World Cup final, which Argentina lost to Spain 1-0.

The AFA had initially requested FIFA’s appeals chamber to review the case. The chamber ultimately upheld the two main sanctions: a ten-match suspension for midfielder Leandro Paredes, sanctioned for his conduct toward Spanish players, and a fine of $321,000 imposed on the federation due to discriminatory chants by some Argentina supporters.

“The next steps, aimed at defending the rights of the player and the AFA, will consist of requesting the reasons for the decisions, then appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport for a new review. The association believes it has sufficient factual and legal arguments to justify this appeal,” the federation stated in its statement.

The appeals chamber did, however, grant some relief to Nahuel Molina. The right-back, initially suspended for seven matches and fined $90,000, has had his suspension reduced to four matches and his fine reduced to $60,000.

Argentina must first obtain the written reasons for the appeals chamber’s decisions before formally filing its appeal with CAS, whose rulings set precedent in international sport.