The 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup semifinals are officially set.
In one semifinal, France will be taking on Spain. In another, England will be taking on Argentina. It’s quite the foursome, with four gigantic world soccer powers squaring off with a spot in the championship on the line.
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But some soccer fans are fed up.
World Cup fans have accused the referees of showing major bias toward some of the global powers, like England and Argentina. Fans believe that England was on the receiving end of some favorable referee treatment in the win over Norway, while others believe that Argentina has also received favorable treatment in its World Cup runs.
Lionel Messi in action with Egypt‘s Haissem Hassan. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images© Dale Zanine-Imagn Images.” loading=”lazy” width=”960″ height=”659″ decoding=”async” data-nimg=”1″ src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/mK7QqylDaIEzIP5.67B9vw–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY1OTtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the_spun_articles_751/11b3d1264600f19bd31fa59f7fdd705e”>
July 7, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.; Argentina’s Lionel Messi in action with Egypt‘s Haissem Hassan. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images© Dale Zanine-Imagn Images.
You’ll get the same complaints in American sports like the NFL and NBA, when teams like the Chiefs, Patriots, Lakers, etc. seem to be on the receiving end of some questionable calls, at least in the minds of fans.
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World Cup fans sound off on favorable treatment
World Cup fans are fed up, though.
“Argentina and Messi are being favoured by the refs and FIFA in every match,” one fan wrote.
“England is getting way too many favorable calls,” one fan added.
“The numbers don’t lie. England (on average) get a yellow card per 7 fouls. Argentina commit 22 fouls for every yellow card. Some might say it’s a FIFA thing, others might say they’re ‘lucky’ with the refs officiating their games,” one fan added.
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“England and Argentina have both had refs guiding them to the semi finals, I wonder who the ref is going to help reach the final. Shocking refereeing in this World Cup,” one fan added.
The 2026 World Cup semifinals, meanwhile, are set to take place on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon.
They’ll air live on FOX.
This story was originally published by The Spun on Jul 12, 2026, where it first appeared in the Soccer section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
