Due to a major security breach, the passport details of Messi, Argentina’s World Cup team, have been leaked

Lionel Messi and the entire Argentina squad have been caught in a major security breach after their passport details were allegedly leaked ahead of the team’s World Cup warm-up against Iceland.

Sensitive information was reportedly circulated on the official team sheet without being properly redacted, raising concerns about player privacy and data security just days before Argentina begin their title defence.

According to a report by The Independent, the passport numbers of each member of the Argentina squad were listed on the official team sheet issued before the match. The information was supposed to be blurred before distribution to the media and public, but it was reportedly shared without redaction at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Alabama.

The leak affected all players listed in the match, including the starting eleven and substitutes. More than 88,000 fans attended the game at the stadium in Auburn, Alabama, where the documents were allegedly leaked.

The Icelandic players avoided a similar problem because their team sheet did not include passport numbers.

Reuters said it had contacted both FIFA and the Argentine Football Association for comment following the incident. Neither organization immediately responded to requests for comment about the apparent oversight.

MESI MARKS IS BACK

Despite the controversy off the pitch, Argentina put in a commanding performance on the pitch to secure a comfortable 3-0 win over Iceland in their final pre-tournament warm-up game.

The match also marked Messi’s return from hamstring injury. The 38-year-old started on the bench, but made his mark as soon as he came on in the second half.

Within two minutes of coming on, Messi found the back of the net after Lautaro Martinez was brought down in the penalty area following a pinpoint pass from the Argentina captain. Messi calmly converted the resulting spot kick to double Argentina’s advantage.

A RECORD GOAL

Messi also made history with the goal. At 38 years and 11 months, he became Argentina’s oldest goalscorer in history, breaking the record previously held by Angel Labruna. Labruna set the mark in 1957 and remained the country’s top scorer for nearly seven decades.

Argentina will now turn their attention to the FIFA World Cupwhere they are set to begin their campaign with a Group J clash against Algeria on Tuesday. While the reigning champions will have been buoyed by their strong performance against Iceland, the question remains how such sensitive personal information was allowed to be published ahead of one of football’s biggest events.

– The end

Issued by:

Amar Panicker

Published on:

10 Jun 2026 18:52 IST