According to documents from the International Police Cooperation Center (IPCC), a unit coordinated by the FBI, the tournament saw an unprecedented volume of threats. Spanish newspaper Información obtained the document detailing the harassment directed at players and officials.
Reports indicate that Messi received the highest number of threats leading up to and during this World Cup.
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Lionel Messi celebrates a goal for Argentina against Jordan at the World Cup in Arlington, Texas on June 27, 2026. Photo by AP |
One of the most serious incidents occurred when an individual called the Dallas airport and claimed that he and two others were on the way to the stadium with homemade bombs and an AR-15 rifle, stating their intention to attack the Argentine star.
During another match in Atlanta, a user on X posted that they were about to enter the stadium and blow up Messi using four bombs strapped to their body. In response to this threat, authorities had to deploy specialized bomb disposal units and K-9 teams to sweep the entire stadium thoroughly.
Cristiano Ronaldo was the player most frequently targeted by extreme and obsessive fans. In Houston and Toronto, police arrested several people attempting to approach the Portuguese superstar, including cases where people snuck into elevators and restricted areas, AS reported.
During the highly anticipated match between Portugal and Croatia, a fan wearing a Ronaldo jersey even ran directly onto the pitch in a desperate attempt to reach him.
Kylian Mbappé also became a prominent target of harassment. The French forward was subjected to xenophobic abuse following a clash with Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill.
Some fans in Paraguay even burned dummies of Mbappé and posted videos of the incident on social media.
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Kylian Mbappe (L) celebrates and ignores goalkeeper Orlando Gill after France’s 1-0 victory over Paraguay in the Round of 16 of the World Cup at Lincoln Financial Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 4, 2026. Photo by AP |
Several other players received serious death threats following their errors during matches, including Alexander Sorloth (Norway), Jaminton Campaz (Colombia) and Lucas Digne (France).
Sorloth faced heavy criticism for failing to pass to Erling Haaland during a one-on-one situation, which contributed to Norway’s 1-2 loss to England in the quarterfinals.
Campaz missed a clear scoring chance in Colombia’s Round of 16 defeat to Switzerland and was reportedly afraid to return home.
Digne received severe threats after his foul on Lamine Yamal, which conceded a penalty in France’s 0-2 semifinal loss to eventual champions Spain.
The most serious incident involving an official was against French referee Francois Letexier. He received over 6,000 threatening messages via WhatsApp after officiating the Argentina vs Egypt match in the Round of 16. The police had to provide protection for his family and home in France.
VAR assistant Willy Delajod also received numerous threats.
The South Korea national team also required a police escort to safely leave the U.S. This came after the squad received death threats following their disappointing elimination in the group stage.