Leandro Paredes Faces FIFA Disciplinary Proceedings After World Cup Final

Leandro Paredes faces the prospect of becoming the most heavily punished Argentina player after FIFA formally opened disciplinary proceedings into the chaotic scenes that followed the 2026 World Cup final between Argentina and Spain.

The midfielder sits at the heart of the governing body’s investigation and, on paper, is in deeper trouble than anyone else involved.

Paredes at the centre of FIFA storm

According to the disciplinary case, Paredes has been hit with three separate counts of aggression. Not one flashpoint, not a single moment of lost control, but three distinct charges that leave him exposed to a potentially severe sanction.

FIFA’s Disciplinary Code is blunt on this point: any act of aggression against an opponent or any other person who is not a match official carries a minimum suspension of three matches per offense. Do the maths and the theoretical maximum for Paredes climbs to nine games on the sidelines.

He is unlikely to reach that ceiling. Previous cases suggest a ban in the region of five or six matches is a more realistic outcome. Even so, for a senior international in the heart of Argentina’s plans, that would be a brutal interruption.

Molina, Ayala and others drawn in

Paredes is not alone in the spotlight. Nahuel Molina also finds himself under scrutiny, charged with two acts of aggression — one completed, one attempted. Each count carries the same minimum three-match starting point, leaving the full-back waiting uneasily on FIFA’s verdict.

On the bench, Argentina assistant coach Roberto Fabián Ayala has been singled out with his own aggression charge. For a member of the coaching staff, any suspension would cut directly into his ability to operate on the touchline in upcoming international windows.

The net stretches wider still. Thiago Almada has reportedly been charged with unsporting conduct, an offense that brings a minimum one-match ban. Across the divide, Spain midfielder Gavi faces the same allegation, a reminder that tempers flared on both sides as the final descended into one of the most contentious climaxes in recent World Cup history.

AFA under broad investigation

The fallout is not limited to individuals. FIFA has also opened proceedings against the Argentine Football Association (AFA) over a broad list of alleged violations.

The case file includes discriminatory chants and gestures, failures to comply with match and security protocols, delays to kickoff, inappropriate messages displayed by players and supporters, and the throwing of objects. It is a catalogue that, if upheld, could prove costly both financially and reputationally.

The potential punishments are stark. A substantial fine is firmly on the table. In the most serious scenario, FIFA could go further and impose partial or even full stadium closures for future Argentina home matches — a sanction that would strip the national team of one of its greatest weapons: the intensity of its own crowd.

Waiting on FIFA’s verdict

For now, this remains an open case. FIFA has launched disciplinary proceedings but has not yet imposed any sporting or financial sanctions on players, staff, or associations.

Both the AFA and the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) will be given the chance to respond, submit evidence, and argue their side before the Disciplinary Committee reaches its conclusions.

Only after that process will FIFA decide which charges stand and which fall — and then reveal the scale of the punishments emerging from one of the most controversial World Cup finals the modern game has seen.