Argentina are one win away from becoming just the third country to defend the World Cup.Italy (1934, 1938) and Brazil (1958, 1962) currently hold the honour, and Lionel Messi and Co. will have their work cut out for them against favourites Spain.Switzerland and Egypt both lashed out at VAR decisionsGettyIn what has been a controversial tournament, there have been plenty of allegations of bias towards the Argentinians, as well as some explosive political rows.talkSPORT takes a look back at some of the incidents ahead of Sunday’s showpiece.The ‘easy’ group and path to latter stagesControversy began over Argentina’s tournament before a ball had been kicked.The defending champions were pulled out of the hat in Group I during the live draw, but ended up being moved into Group J. That saw them face Algeria, Austria, and Jordan in what was branded an ‘easy’ draw and a ‘cakewalk’ by fans.France ended up in Group I, alongside Senegal, Iraq and Norway — a tougher test on paper.The decision was controversial at the time, but was explained by host Rio Ferdinand.Ahead of the tournament, FIFA decided to ensure the highest-seeded countries were not able to face each other until the semifinals if they won their respective groups.“When drawn, Spain (No. 1 seed) and Argentina (2) will be randomly assigned to opposite pathways to the semis, as will France (3) and England (4). According to FIFA, this is to ensure a balanced distribution of teams,” wrote ESPN’s pre-draw report.As Ferdinand explained, that meant that Argentina were moved from Group I to avoid a potential clash with Spain.View Tweet: https://t.co/sh0m4yzNp3Alleged racist abuse of IShowSpeed (Argentina 3-2 Cabo Verde, Last 32, AET)As expected, Argentina made light work of the Group Stage, but minnows Cabo Verde almost threw a spanner in the works during the first round of the knockouts.After a thrilling tie was decided by an extra-time own-goal, the champions managed to keep their defence alive.On the field, everything was above board, but popular streamer IShowSpeed was subjected to vile abuse by a small section of fans.The social media star, who has 56 million YouTube subscribers was streaming was Hard Rock Stadium in a Cape Verde jersey as he is a massive fan of Messi’s rival Cristiano Ronaldo.A fan wearing an Argentina jersey reportedly used a racial slur and told him to “go home,” while another told him to “go cry at the zoo.”“FIFA strongly condemns racism, hate and discrimination in all forms. These actions have no place in football, at the FIFA World Cup, or anywhere in society,” FIFA said in a statement.Argentina fans threw beer cans and other objects at IShowSpeed during their incredible comeback against England in the World Cup Semi FinalGetty“FIFA was made aware of an incident involving a supporter and #IShowSpeed at Miami Stadium during the Argentina vs Cabo Verde match on 3 July 2026 and immediately initiated an investigation.“The FIFA World Cup is a celebration of unity, diversity and respect. It brings together people, cultures and communities from around the world, and anyone who acts in a manner that undermines these values is not welcome in our game.”Speed was also targeted by some Argentina fans during the games against England, where he had objects thrown at him and needed to be shielded by bodyguards, and Egypt.The disallowed goal (Argentina 3-2 Egypt, Round of 16)Up next was Egypt in the Round of 16 and the North Africans almost delivered another shock.Leading 1-0, Mostafa Ziko scored a sensational breakaway goal to put the Pharaohs 2-0 up.French referee François Letexier was called to the monitor by VAR, however, and the goal was controversially disallowed because Marwan Attia stepped on Lisandro Martínez‘s toe at the start of the move.Ziko later scored again to make it 2-0, but Argentina fought back to take the game to extra-time.Mohamed Salah was also fuming at being denied a penalty seconds before Enzo Fernandez scored the winning goal.Argentina appeal to François Letexier for a foul before a VAR reviewGettyEgypt manager Hossam Hassan launched a furious rant at FIFA and claimed he wouldn’t watch another second of the tournament.“It’s all about money. They want Messi to stay in the tournament,” he said. “In football, many things happen off the pitch because of interests. “What happened was unfair. Egypt deserved to qualify. We were the better team.”However, FIFA Chief Refereeing Officer Pierluigi Collina strongly spoke out about any claims of bias.“Nobody can claim that FIFA Refereeing can be influenced by anyone,” he said.“Match officials make honest decisions and, just like players and coaches, they always try to do their best.”The mistaken identity (Argentina 3–1 Switzerland, quarterfinal, AET)Having brought the quarter-final back to 1-1, Switzerland were looking to seize the initiative when striker Breel Embolo went down.Portugal’s Joao Pinheiro initially brandished a red card to Argentina’s Leandro Paredes.VAR intervened in a rare application of the “mistaken identity” protocol. Pinheiro saw that Paredes had made no contact, rescinded the card and controversially handed Embolo a second booking for diving. Argentina went on to score twice in extra-time against 10 men.“It’s completely not understandable,” Switzerland’s head coach, Murat Yakin, said afterward. “I know that they will protect their referee but this rule destroyed the game today.”Embolo’s red changed the gameGettyThe controversy surrounded the fact that the mistaken identity protocol was used even though the referee had not confused one player for another.FIFA had expanded the rules before the tournament, however, to include situations where the wrong team was penalised.It had already been used once in the 2026 edition with Paraguay’s Miguel Almirón booked in a similar situation involving USMNT defender Tim Ream.FIFA confirmed that the rules were applied correctly both times, but Switzerland were still furious.“This is a rule that in my opinion has nothing to do with football,” Yakin blasted after being informed of the new rule. “The fact that they introduced such a rule is just unnecessary. It is just extremely hurtful.”The Falklands banner (England 1-2 Argentina, semifinal)There wasn’t too much to complain about on the field as Argentina fought back against a retreating England to secure a dramatic victory.The South Americans dished out some pretty rough treatment to break up the game, with Moroccan-American referee Ismail Elfath choosing to let the it flow.There were a couple of decisions which probably should have gone England’s way, but Declan Rice was also pictured putting his hand over his mouth three times without being sent off. Credit to Argentina for not flagging that one against their old rivals.After the victory, however a full-blown diplomatic incident kicked off.Argentina players including Cristian Romero and midfielder Giovani Lo Celso took a banner from fans which read ‘Las Malvinas son Argentinas (The Falkland Islands are Argentine)’ and paraded it around the field.Departing UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer demanded a formal investigation from FIFA as the organization’s rules strictly ban political slogans, statements, or symbols.Some are calling for Lo Celso, pictured, to miss the finalGettyIn August 2024, Spain’s Rodri and Álvaro Morata were banned for singing that ‘Gibraltar is Spain‘ after winning Euro 2024.British politicians are now calling for players including Romero and Lo Celso to be banned for Sunday’s final.FIFA is investigating, but it is unlikely we will see any players miss the biggest game in football. A ban after the tournament is possible.A FIFA spokesman said: “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.”A White House official has also defended the Argentina players’ right to hold the banner.Andrew Giuliani told reporters in Washington on Friday: “We believe in our First Amendment rights here in the United States of America.“And in terms of the ability, the opportunity to be able to make statements, (Argentina) has the ability to do that in the United States of America.”Stay up to date on all things World Cup across our talkSPORT platforms – subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest news, opinion, exclusive interviews and our daily unfiltered, unscripted show ‘The S* Word, from 8am ET.All 104 games at the 2026 World Cup this summer will be live on talkSPORT, talkSPORT 2 and the talkSPORT app.