Argentina could face additional disciplinary proceedings following the brawl that marred the end of their World Cup final defeat to Spain.

Leandro Paredes was sent off after the final whistle after clashing with Spain’s Eric Garcia and Gavi while Nahuel Molina appeared to take a swing at Spain captain Rodri.

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Fifa will investigate the post-match scenes before deciding whether to take additional disciplinary action, while sanctions could also follow Argentina’s semi-final win over England.

After beating England, several Argentina players waved a banner that read “Las Malvinas son Argentinas”, which translates to “The Falkland Islands are Argentinian”.

A Fifa spokesperson said after the semi-final, “As is standard procedure, Fifa’s independent Disciplinary Committee is currently assessing the match reports and considering the relevant circumstances before deciding on potential further steps based on the Fifa Disciplinary Code.”

The same process will apply to the final. Argentina’s Paredes and Enzo Fernandez, who was sent off in normal time for two bookable offences, will each receive a one-match ban following their red cards, to be applied in Argentina’s next competitive match.

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But Fifa’s Disciplinary Code states players sent off for violent conduct will be suspended for “at least three matches”. Misconduct relating to assault, including “elbowing, punching, kicking, biting, spitting at or hitting an opponent” will result in a suspension of “at least three matches or an appropriate period of time”. Sanctions can also be applied retrospectively.

Luis Suarez is perhaps the most infamous example of a retrospective punishment at the World Cup, with the Uruguay striker handed a nine-match international ban and a four-month ban from all football-related activity after biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini during the group stages of the 2014 tournament.

France legend Zinedine Zidane was handed a three-match ban following his headbutt on Italy’s Marco Materazzi during the 2006 World Cup final, while Materazzi received a two-match suspension for provoking the Frenchman. Zidane’s ban was never enforced, though, because he retired after the World Cup.

On the scale of violent conduct, Paredes and Molina’s actions at the end of the 2026 final were perhaps not as severe as those two infamous cases of bad behavior, but there is scope for Fifa to increase the punishment beyond the nominal three-match ban. Molina would have to be cited, too, as he did not receive a card from the referee on the pitch.

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Argentina’s football federation could also face disciplinary action, should Fifa find more instances of misconduct during their investigation. Fifa’s code states that “if a national team conducts itself improperly (for example, if individual disciplinary sanctions are imposed by the referee on five or more players during a match), disciplinary measures may also be taken against the association concerned”.

More generally, Argentina’s actions following the final whistle could be seen as “behaving in a way that brings the sport of football and/or Fifa into disrepute”, which may also open the door to additional disciplinary measures.

The post-match brawl was sparked when Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal and Rodri sprinted past Molina after the final whistle was blown and La Roja were crowned champions. Molina appeared to swing at Rodri, leading to the Spain captain stopping in his tracks and approaching the Argentina defender while shouting.

Molina then squared up to Rodri and bumped him in the chest, which was the flashpoint that triggered Garcia to step in. Paredes, who was booked during the final and was fortunate to not receive a second yellow card, then flew towards Garcia, knocking him to the ground.

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Paredes then jabbed Garcia in the throat after the Spain defender got to his feet, just as Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni approached, wagging his finger and trying to break up the scuffles. With Scaloni separating Garcia and other Argentina coaching staff members getting involved, Paredes then turned his attention to Spain’s 21-year-old midfielder Gavi.

Paredes, 32, spun Gavi to the ground and appeared to push into his face while holding him by the bib. Several of Gavi’s Spanish team-mates then stepped in to shield him, with Spain’s Borja Iglesias crashing into Paredes. Video footage also appeared to show Argentina assistant coach Daniel Ayala striking Spain midfielder Dani Olmo.

It was a sorry way for Argentina’s tournament to end after they had taken an emotional path to the final. They were attempting to claim a second World Cup in a row for captain Lionel Messi, who was playing on the World Cup stage for the final time.

Downing Street called for an investigation into Argentina’s celebrations following the 2-1 win over England in the semi-finals. The Argentine Football Association (AFA) was previously fined £20,000 by Fifa in 2014 after Argentina’s players held up a banner with the same message.

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Two years ago, Rodri and Spain team-mate Alvaro Morata were handed one-match bans for chanting “Gibraltar es Espanol” – Gibraltar is Spanish – following their Euro 2024 final victory over England, leading to a complaint from the Gibraltar Football Association.