Messi already scored his hat-trick in the opener, but outside the stadiums another battle is being fought — and Argentina is winning that one too. Since the 2026 World Cup began, 34,000 Argentines have been blocked from accessing matches — 13,000 of them for failing to pay court-ordered child support.
The measure is not new, but it is more powerful than ever. The Ministry of Security made Resolution 429/2026 official, integrating the records of all provinces into the Tribuna Segura system and linking them directly to the digital ticketing system of U.S. stadiums. If anyone on the list tries to validate their ticket, the system triggers an automatic block alert. There is no way to sneak in. The City of Buenos Aires successfully handed that database over to U.S. authorities.
What is most surprising is the psychological effect: the prospect of missing the national team’s matches live is achieving what years of court proceedings did not. According to the Buenos Aires Ministry of Justice, several debtors sped up their payments in order to be removed from the registry in time. Anyone who regularizes their situation regains the right to enter. Anyone who does not stays outside.