Jude Bellingham Faces Possible FIFA Action After Slapping Argentina’s Barco In World Cup Fallout

by Erik MeersJuly 16, 2026, 2:48 pm >

Jude Bellingham could face disciplinary action from FIFA after slapping the back of Argentina substitute Valentin Barco‘s head in the aftermath of England’s 2-1 World Cup semifinal defeat on Wednesday night.

Barco, who did not play in the match, ran onto the pitch at full-time and was hugging teammates near Bellingham when the England midfielder walked over and struck him, sparking a brief scuffle involving players from both sides before Bellingham walked away.

Argentina’s Nicolas Otamendi confronted Bellingham as other players moved to separate them.

It is unclear what prompted the reaction, but footage showed Barco sprinting onto the field and celebrating in front of the England bench after Enzo Fernández‘s 85th-minute equalizer. Lautaro Martínez then headed in a stoppage-time winner, completing Argentina’s comeback after Anthony Gordon had given England an early second-half lead.

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Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson, commentating for BBC Radio 5 Live, called Barco’s celebration “probably the worst example of sportsmanship we’ve seen at this World Cup.”

Bellingham could be charged with violent conduct by FIFA’s disciplinary committee, a finding that would rule him out of Saturday’s third-place match against France in Miami. However, officials are more likely to treat the incident as petulant rather than violent, since the laws of the game only classify a deliberate strike to the head as a red-card offense when meaningful force is used.

The 23-year-old, who has scored six goals at the tournament, had already clashed with Argentina captain Lionel Messi in the fourth minute after a foul on teammate Elliot Anderson. “We were really just discussing a foul, actually,” Bellingham said afterward. “It wasn’t anything bad. I’m sure everyone will do their thing and make it a big deal, but it was nothing.”

The first half was marked by 19 fouls as American referee Ismail Elfath struggled to control the tempo. Barco, 21, plays for Strasbourg and is reportedly set to join Chelsea; he had appeared once at the tournament, as a substitute in a group-stage win over Jordan.