All the clues FIFA's Argentina World Cup bias is real… as bosses' greedy reason for wanting Messi in the final sparks fury

The call him La Pulga, the magician and the undisputed king of soccer.

But, to a growing chorus of critics online,

Lionel Messi

has earned himself a far flashier title ahead of Sunday's World Cup final showdown against Spain at MetLife Stadium: 'FIFA's Princess'.

Conspiracy theories, viral memes and furious allegations of favoritism have completely engulfed the build-up to the tournament's showpiece event in New York.

While soccer's global governing body has fiercely denied any wrongdoing, a string of controversial moments has left fans speculating that the scales are being tipped in favor of the reigning World Cup champions ahead of their trip to MetLife Stadium.

Central to the online hysteria is a wave of viral, often AI-generated images depicting Messi dressed as a literal princess, cozying up to FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

Cynics have pointed to the astronomical commercial value a Messi-led final brings to FIFA, fueling widespread fan theories that tournament organizers will do all they can to ensure that the Inter Miami star enjoys a fairytale ending to his Argentina career.

Lionel Messi is within touching distance of historic back-to-back World Cup titles

However, his 2026 campaign has been marred by allegations of favoritism from officials

Conspiracy theories suggest that FIFA President Gianni Infantino wants to see Messi win another World Cup, before he calls an end to his illustrious international soccer career

Suspicions arose right out of the gate in Argentina's opening match against Algeria, which was dominated by headlines about Messi's stunning hat-trick in the game.

However, while some celebrated the 39-year-old's performance in the 3-0 win, others pointed to an incident in the 30th minute.

Messi appeared to rake his studs down the right calf and Achilles of Algeria captain Aissa Mandi - and many argued it was a textbook, straightforward red card.

The referees didn't agree, however, and the Argentine escaped without a caution.

In the days that followed, USA fans quickly pointed out a perceived double standard, noting that USMNT striker Folarin Balogun was sent off for a near-identical tackle.

The fury only intensified after it was revealed President Donald Trump personally called FIFA President Gianni Infantino before FIFA ultimately lifted Balogun's suspension, highlighting the bizarre political circus hovering over the tournament.

The whispers of favoritism turned into a roar later in the tournament following Argentina's fiery 3-2 victory over Egypt in the Round of 16.

The match was defined by a disallowed Egypt goal, which would have put the underdogs in control of the Atlanta showdown; however, VAR had other ideas.

Fans felt Messi was incredibly lucky to avoid a red card for this challenge against Algeria

Online critics later pointed to Folarin Balogun's red card, after Messi escaped any punishment

While Messi wasn't even shown a yellow card, USA star Balogun received a straight red

In the 58th minute - with Egypt leading 1-0 - Mostafa Ziko scored a brilliant breakaway goal. However, the video assistant referee chalked off the effort for a foul by Marawan Attia on Argentina's Lisandro Martinez during the build-up.

The decision sparked major uproar on social media, with many fans claiming that it was a 'soft' decision made in order to give Argentina a chance to stage a comeback. And that's exactly what they did, scoring three late goals to win the game 3-2.

Egypt's head coach, Hossam Hassan, openly branded the match 'unfair', claiming his squad 'suffered injustice' at the hands of FIFA's officials on the day.

Hassan later pulled no punches, suggesting FIFA 'wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running'.

In a scathing post-match interview, the Egypt coach added: 'There seems to have been pressure on the Argentinian side on the referee that has brought about this outcome. Life is unfair. The world is unfair. But why isn't there any fairness in sports? I'm not convinced by this outcome and by the way things unfolded in this match.'

The Egyptian Football Association backed their manager, releasing an explosive statement questioning the 'consistency and fairness of decisions'.

The drama took an even weirder turn when the Argentine Football Federation had to investigate a potential system hack after mass emails were sent to reporters claiming that 'the robbery will not go unnoticed'.

Though there were no glaring incidents of alleged favoritism in their following game - a 3-1 win over Switzerland - the debate reignited after their recent win over England.

Egypt had a goal ruled out against Argentina for this foul on defender Lisandro Martinez

Egypt's Hossam Hassan branded the match 'unfair', claiming his squad 'suffered injustice'

Messi went on to score a late goal against Egypt as Argentina mounted a historic comeback

Messi orchestrated both goals in their 2-1 win over the Three Lions, but controversy later arose surrounding the winner; a 92nd minute header from Lautaro Martinez.

In the build-up to the goal, Messi had appeared to stamp on the foot of England defender Djed Spence, who was visibly affected by the challenge. However, officials made nothing of it and, moments later, Messi crossed the ball for Martinez to score.

Beyond individual match drama, furious supporters have also pointed to a mind-boggling statistic regarding VAR reviews from the group stage to the Round of 16.

According to

data collected by NetSI Sport

, Argentina were the only team that reached the quarterfinals who didn't have a single foul committed reviewed by VAR.

Furthermore, the data showed that the reigning World Cup champions also had the most fouls in its favor reviewed, by a significant margin.

The team's disciplinary record has raised eyebrows as well. Argentina has committed the most fouls during the tournament - yet sits below two teams in regard to yellow cards.

Their total of nine yellow cards trumps the amount accrued by their semi-final rivals, England, by one - despite committing 15 fouls more than their European counterparts.

Despite the mounting online conspiracy theories, Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni has completely dismissed the noise, insisting that 'social media magnifies everything'.

Despite committing the most fouls in the tournament, Argentina received just 9 yellow cards

FIFA President Gianni Infantino watches on alongside Argentina FA President Claudio Tapia

Messi and Argentina will head to MetLife Stadium on Sunday for the World Cup final

In response to Egypt head coach Hassan, Scaloni said: 'Honestly, people have been saying those kinds of things about Argentina for a very long time.

'The officiating has been very clear. Before the World Cup began, the referees showed everyone exactly how the rules would be interpreted. They said, 'This is how it will be called. This is how it will be called.' And that's exactly what's happened.

'Social media magnifies everything. That's where the debates begin. But there hasn't been any favoritism. Quite the opposite. Nowadays, it's actually very difficult for favoritism to exist.'

FIFA's refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina also issued a stern defense of his officials, declaring that 'nobody can claim that FIFA refereeing can be influenced by anyone'.

Meanwhile, after their semi-final triumph, Messi himself hit back at the ongoing claims that his team has received preferential treatment.

'Let people keep enjoying it,' Messi said. 'What this group has achieved is incredible, another final, we've come back to be world champions, we're the best in the world after these four years, whether people like it or not, and no matter what they say.'