From accusations of racism to mockery over the outcome, who ended up at the center of the controversy
The post was accompanied by an image of the character Stephen, played by Jackson himself in the film Django Unchained, wearing the Argentine National Team jersey.
The singer Patti Smith posted an Instagram story with an image created using artificial intelligence featuring Lamine Yamal wearing a Palestinian kufiya.
In an initial version of the message, she celebrated Spain as "the good guys," although minutes later she deleted the post and edited it several times.
The final of the 2026 World Cup not only marked the crowning of Spain, but it also sparked a wave of social media posts that generated outrage among thousands of Argentinians. In the hours following the match, various international figures shared messages, images, and reactions that were interpreted by users as attacks against Argentina, its National Team, and, in some cases, against the national government.
From Hollywood actors to musicians and influencers, these posts quickly went viral and unleashed calls for apologies, calls for boycotts, and intense debates on digital platforms.
One of the first figures to become embroiled in the controversy was Rosalía. The Spanish singer shared on TikTok a video originally posted by influencer Mia Khalifa, who publicly supported Spain throughout the World Cup and even claimed to have bet a million dollars in favor of the European team.
After the final, Khalifa celebrated Argentina's defeat using "La Perla", a song from Rosalía's latest album, as background music, and wrote:
"How life sounds now that the pearls have been defeated."
In Spain, the term "pearl" is often used ironically to describe a troublesome or untrustworthy person. Many Argentinians interpreted Rosalía's repost as support for the message and began demanding refunds for the tickets to the four concerts the artist has scheduled in Buenos Aires.
The American actor Samuel L. Jackson also found himself at the center of the discussion after reposting an image shared by the account SEC Black Alumni Network.
The post stated:
"Argentina has historically been one of the most racist countries in the world, if not the most racist."
Finally, she left only the message:
"This is a lesson in humility. Thank you, 19. Congratulations, Spain."
The former member of One Direction, Niall Horan, was also questioned by Argentine users after liking a post that labeled the National Team as "cheating and violent" and that also included the phrase:
"The Malvinas are Spanish."
After the negative backlash, the singer removed the "like" and posted a message on X. "It was an innocent mistake. I have great affection for Argentina and all my fans there", he wrote.
The Chilean actor Pedro Pascal became a trend when users detected a supposed "like" from him on a post related to the World Cup final.
Although the screenshot circulated widely on social media, the star of The Last of Us did not make any public statements about the episode.
