Valentin Barco

Valentin Barco was an unused substitute in Argentina's 2-1 semi-final win over England on 15 July when footage surfaced showing England's Jude Bellingham striking him on the back of the head after the final whistle. FIFA did not open a charge before the bronze-medal match, nor by the tournament's close.

The 21-year-old Left-back plays club football for Ligue 1 side Strasbourg, joining permanently in July 2025 for a fee reported at £7.87 million after a spell with Boca Juniors. He was part of Argentina's 26-man World Cup squad and scored his first senior international goal in a 5-0 win over Zambia on 1 April 2026.

The incident remained entangled with the wider Falklands row that erupted after Argentina's semi-final win. FIFA produced neither a charge nor a closure by the tournament's end on 19 July, the same day the Disciplinary Committee's separate Malvinas banner review also closed out unresolved; Bellingham played on throughout, scoring a tournament-high seventh goal for an England player in the bronze-medal match while the file over the Barco incident sat open.