After the defeat against Messi's Argentina, the bad news that Brazil received

Last Tuesday Brazil and Argentina played one of the most interesting matches of the November international break. For the sixth game of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, they faced each other at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, in a show that had unexpected situations.

The start of the match was delayed for almost half an hour due to serious incidents in the stands of the stadium. While the anthems of both countries were being played, a fight broke out among the fans. The Brazilian police intervened and violently repressed the Argentine fans, causing concern among the players, who, led by Lionel Messi, refused to start playing until the situation calmed down.

Then the match started and that tension was transferred to the field. Both teams played with a lot of vehemence and there were more fouls than opportunities to score goals. Finally, the world champions got the 1-0 victory thanks to a beautiful goal by Nicolás Otamendi, who received a floated cross from Giovani Lo Celso and netted with a header.

That was Brazil's first home loss in a qualifier game in nearly 70 years, and the third consecutive defeat in the current 2026 World Cup qualifiers. This caused harsh criticism from fans and the press against coach Fernando Diniz and the players, but it is not the only negative consequence they could suffer. According to Globo newspaper, FIFA is investigating what happened and could sanction Brazil for breach of article 17 of the disciplinary code, which states: "host clubs and associations are responsible for order and security before, during and after matches" and are "responsible for incidents of any kind". Possible sanctions are a stadium ban, an order to play at a neutral venue, a fine or even worse: a points deduction.

What did FIFA have to say about this?

Gianni Infantino, FIFA president, wrote on social media: "There is absolutely no place for violence in football, on or off the field. Such events, such as those seen during the FIFA World Cup qualifying match between Brazil and Argentina at the Maracana Stadium, have no place in our sport or society. Without exception, all players, fans, staff and officials need to be safe and secure to play and enjoy football, and I urge the relevant authorities to ensure this is respected at all levels."