FIFA announced Wednesday that it had opened proceedings into some Argentina players for their behaviour after losing the World Cup to Spain.

A handful of Argentina players and staff confronted their Spanish rivals after the final whistle of the final in New York which Spain won 1–0 after extra time.

Argentina players including Nahuel Molina, Thiago Almada and Leandro Paredes, as well as coach Roberto Ayala, were involved in the incidents, as was Spain's Pablo Martín Páez Gavira, commonly known as Gavi.

Paredes is the most heavily implicated after being charged with three counts following the prosecutor's report.

Ayala is a member of head coach Lionel Scaloni's backroom staff.

Disciplinary proceedings were opened with the quintet facing charges from assault to unsporting behaviour.

"In accordance with the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the accused have been given the opportunity to present their position, after which the FIFA Disciplinary Committee will issue a decision at a later date," world football's governing body said in a statement.

Tensions flared on the pitch immediately after the final whistle as Spain began celebrating the country's second World Cup title.

During normal time, Enzo Fernández had been sent off after receiving a second yellow card in the third minute of stoppage time, forcing Argentina to play extra time with 10 men. Spain secured victory through Ferran Torres' goal in the 106th minute.

Malvinas banner

FIFA will also investigate an incident following Argentina's 2-1 semi-final victory over England in which players held up a banner that read: "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" ("The Falklands are Argentine").

FIFA said the proceedings would target potential breaches of the world governing body's articles on using a sports event for demonstrations of a non-sporting nature, team misconduct, discrimination and racist abuse, and order and security at matches.

The latter comes "in light of discriminatory chants and gestures, late kick-offs, failure to comply with match and security protocols, the display of inappropriate messages by the team and spectators and the throwing of objects by spectators in relation to several matches of the representative team of Argentina at the FIFA World Cup 2026."

– TIMES/AFP