The report revealed: threats to assassinate Messi - during the World Cup

The 2026 World Cup provided countless unforgettable moments on the pitch, but behind the scenes, security forces had to deal with a long series of threats, harassment, and unusual incidents. A leaked police report, revealed for the first time in the last day in the Spanish media, describes the scope of the threats that were checked during the tournament. According to the report, which was examined by the Spanish newspaper "Informacion", Lionel Messi was one of the footballers who received the highest number of threats during the World Cup. Some of the threats included explicit references to harming him during Argentina's matches.

One of the serious cases occurred ahead of the match between Argentina and Jordan. According to the report, a person called the authorities and claimed that he and two other people intended to arrive at the stadium equipped, apparently, with improvised explosive devices and an AR-15 rifle. During the conversation, police officers and players of both teams were mentioned as possible targets, with Messi being mentioned specifically. Another threat was received ahead of the match between Argentina and Egypt, which was held in Atlanta. A user on the X network posted a threatening message in which he claimed that he intended to enter the stadium and harm Messi using explosives. The incident caused concern among security officials, and during the match, another warning was received that three devices had been, apparently, planted in trash cans throughout the stadium. Bomb disposal teams and K-9 units were called to the scene and carried out comprehensive searches. In the end, no devices were found, and the incident turned out to be a false alarm - but it illustrated the level of alert under which the tournament was conducted.

Cristiano Ronaldo was also the target of a number of unusual incidents. In one case, a FIFA employee warned the authorities about a suspicious person who tried to obtain details regarding Ronaldo's accommodation. Later, the suspect was arrested at the hotel where the Portuguese national team was staying. Another case occurred in Toronto, where a person was arrested who tried to enter an elevator together with Ronaldo. After his arrest, he claimed that he only wanted to take a picture with the Portuguese star. Also in Miami, an attempt to approach Ronaldo was recorded, and during a match against Croatia, a fan dressed in the star's shirt broke onto the pitch.

The threats were not directed only towards the players. The World Cup referees also found themselves under attack. The French referee François Letexier received, according to the report, more than 6,000 threatening messages on WhatsApp following the match between Argentina and Egypt, which ended in a dramatic 2:3 victory for the Albiceleste. The VAR referee Willy Delajod also received messages of abuse and threats. Following the threats, it was decided to increase security around Letexier and his family members in France. Kylian Mbappé suffered an attack on social networks after France's match against Paraguay, which also included statements of a xenophobic nature. According to the report, pictures of a doll in his likeness that was set on fire were also distributed online. The Norwegian striker Alexander Sørloth and his wife received, apparently, threats after he missed a scoring opportunity, while the Colombian Jaminton Campaz became a target for threats after he missed a penalty. According to the report, the threats towards Campaz were so severe that he did not return immediately with the rest of the Colombian national team members after the tournament. The South Korean national team also required significant security. After its elimination in the group stage, threats were received towards the coach Hong Myung-bo and the players, and the team received police escort on its way to the airport.