Punches, kicks, and shouting right in Times Square. That was what tourists walking along Broadway on Monday night saw, when Argentine and Algerian fans came to blows just hours before Argentina’s debut at the 2026 World Cup.
As the New York Police confirmed to LA NACION, the 911 call came in at 21:54 from the intersection of West 46th Street and Broadway, within the Midtown North precinct. Officers found a group of people fighting and managed to separate those involved. “One person was arrested and issued a court summons. No injuries were reported”, the local force said. The Spanish outlet Diario AS did not hesitate to describe the scene as a “mass brawl” and called it “the first ugly image of the World Cup”. Witnesses captured footage showing that even other fans tried unsuccessfully to stop the fight.
The contrast with the rest of the buildup could not have been more striking: while that was happening in New York, hundreds of Argentines were taking part in a massive flag-waving gathering in Kansas City, with players’ relatives among the crowd and “Muchachos” echoing just meters from Arrowhead Stadium.