Fraud and Child Abuse: AFA Under Investigation During 2026 World Cup

The FBI has reopened an investigation into alleged fraud and money laundering by the Argentine Football Association (AFA), with an estimated amount of $300 million. The announcement comes as Argentina prepares to face Switzerland in the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup.

Investigative journalist Romain Molina published an investigation the same day into the inner workings of the AFA, claiming that FIFA protected the federation against a series of scandals. “Rarely has FIFA covered and protected a federation from scandals, potential crimes and offences as much as the Argentine Football Association,” he writes in his introduction. He mentions accusations of child abuse, money laundering, embezzlement of funds and forged documents, arguing that FIFA allegedly suppressed these matters for several years.

These revelations come in an already charged context. Since the start of the tournament, the Albiceleste’s path has raised questions: group stage against Algeria, Austria and Jordan, then a round of 16 match against Cape Verde and another against Egypt. Opponents considered accessible, even though Lionel Scaloni’s side had to work hard in their last two matches, both won 3-2, not without benefiting, according to several observers, from favourable refereeing decisions.

These suspicions echo those that surrounded Argentina’s triumph in Qatar in 2022, when the Albiceleste beat France in the final to give Lionel Messi his first World Cup title. At the time, some had denounced a scenario that seemed too well orchestrated; the new investigations reignite this debate at a particularly sensitive moment for the competition.

Neither FIFA nor the AFA have publicly responded to the accusations made by Romain Molina at the time of publication. The FBI has not specified the timeline for its investigations.