Argentina’s 3-2 victory over Egypt in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Round-of-16 tie on Tuesday sparked widespread criticism of the officiating, with fans, pundits and former players questioning a number of refereeing decisions that they claimed favoured the defending champions.

While Lionel Messi’s side advanced to the quarter-finals after edging out a spirited Egyptian team, much of the post-match discussion on social media platform X centred on allegations of inconsistent use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system and perceived bias against the African side.

The controversy intensified after Egypt had a goal ruled out following a VAR review for a foul in the build-up, while several similar incidents involving Argentina were not reviewed. Critics also pointed to an apparent foul on Mohamed Salah that went unpunished, arguing that comparable situations were treated differently during the match.

Reaction on X was immediate and fierce.

“Egypt was robbed here VAR went for a coffee breaking leading to Argentina 3:2,” one user wrote.

Another questioned the credibility of the technology, saying: “If VAR is going to be used as selectively and subjectively as it was used in the Argentina and Egypt game tonight, then the World Cup is a lost cause. No one can really trust the integrity of the tournament anymore.”

Egyptian supporters, along with many neutrals, accused officials of favouring the reigning world champions.

“Shameful refereeing and a disgrace to Messi’s legacy. Argentina doesn’t need this kind of help. Egypt may have lost on the scoreboard, but they won the respect of football fans around the world,” read another widely shared post.

French referee François Letexier also came under heavy criticism, with several users describing his performance as “corrupt” and questioning FIFA’s handling of the match.

One widely circulated post read: “Emam getting punched in the face, no one batted an eye. Argentina making the EXACT SAME FOUL Egypt made but in the box, no one batted an eye. Yellow cards getting thrown out for what reason? It was shamelessly obvious they didn’t even try to hide it. Disgusting ref.”

The criticism extended beyond social media, with former players and television pundits describing the officiating as “inconsistent at best”. While acknowledging Argentina’s quality in mounting their comeback, they argued that contentious refereeing decisions detracted from an otherwise entertaining contest.

The debate also resonated among Pakistani football fans, many of whom backed Egypt because of regional affinity, with users on local forums and X alleging that the match reflected the “big-team bias” often associated with major international tournaments.

Another viral post stated: “They’re calling it the most rigged match of all time oml, Egypt was COOKING and then this REF be turning blind eyes to Argentina’s fouls and giving Egypt cards for BREATHING.”

The controversy has renewed calls from analysts for FIFA to review VAR protocols and ensure greater consistency in their application during high-profile matches.

FIFA had not issued a detailed statement on the officiating at the time of filing this report.

Despite the defeat, Egypt drew widespread praise for pushing the defending champions to the limit, with many observers predicting a bright future for the Pharaohs. Argentina, meanwhile, progressed to the quarter-finals, though their victory continued to be overshadowed by debate over the officiating.