A leaked police dossier reportedly revealed that Argentina superstar footballer Lionel Messi was allegedly the primary target of multiple terror threats during the FIFA World Cup 2026.
A leaked police dossier reportedly revealed that Argentina superstar footballer Lionel Messi was allegedly the primary target of multiple terror threats during the FIFA World Cup 2026. The documents, which were accessed by Spanish newspaper Informacion.es, listed bomb threats, stalking cases and online abuse towards players, referees and other officials during the tournament. According to the report, Messi and the Argentina football team featured quite heavily in the police dossier. The security threats were dealt by a joint security network led by the FBI and the International Police Cooperation (IPCC).
According to the report, one of the most shocking discoveries was the alleged plot targeting Messi. The dossier revealed that an individual openly declared his intention to carry out a suicide bombing inside the Atlanta Stadium. The suspect allegedly posted on X – “I’m going to walk into the Atlanta stadium and blow up Messi with four bombs strapped to my body”.
The threat was reportedly treated by the authorities with the highest level of seriousness.
The authorities also reportedly examined another incident involving a phone call made to the Dallas airport. According to the report, the caller claimed that he and two other people were headed to the stadium with homemade bombs and an AR-15. The message added that both police officers as well as the footballers were the intended targets while mentioning Messi.
Messi was not the only high-profile name that featured in the police dossier as Cristiano Ronaldo was also subjected to repeated security concerns during the FIFA World Cup 2026, according to the report.
The report claimed that a FIFA employee alerted authorities on June 14 after noticing a suspicious individual attempting to obtain details about the Portuguese footballer’s accomodation. Similar incidents were reported in Toronto, Houston and Miami.
Besides the star footballers, French referee Francois Letexier also reportedly received around 6000 threatening messages on WhatsApp during the competition.
