Why Marc Cucurella Didn’t Get a Red Card for Covering His Mouth While Talking to Lionel Messi in the World Cup Final
Even though Lionel Messi protested, Marc Cucurella wasn’t sent off in the 2026 World Cup final because of a specific rule. The 2026 FIFA World Cup has come to an end, and after a rather quiet final, Spain are the new world champions. Spain controlled most of the match, but it took until 106 minutes for Ferran Torres to score the winning goal in extra time.
That goal was the highlight of a match that wasn’t nearly as exciting as the dramatic final we saw four years ago in Qatar. However, there was still some drama when Argentina’s Enzo Fernandez was given a second yellow card near the end of regular time for a rough tackle on Pau Cubarsi, leading to his sending off.
Later, Messi tried to get a Spanish player sent off too. He reacted after Real Madrid’s Cucurella talked to him while covering his mouth. This summer, players have been shown red cards for covering their mouths during confrontations, like Paraguay’s Miguel Almiron and Ecuador’s Piero Hincapie earlier in the tournament.
In this case, Cucurella covered his mouth briefly while speaking to Messi, but then lowered his hand. Messi immediately signaled to the referee, asking for a red card, but the rules say a player must only be sent off if harmful words are exchanged. Here, that wasn’t the case. That’s why players sometimes cover their mouths during friendly talks without getting punished.
After the game, fans took to social media to criticize Messi, calling his actions petty and unnecessary. BBC Sport’s Gabby Logan called it “desperation from Messi,” and Wayne Rooney added, “Argentina plays like that, but you want good sportsmanship. It was sad to see from Messi.” Joe Hart also said he didn’t like Messi’s behavior, pointing out how Spain was clearly in control.
On the other hand, BBC pundit Micah Richards defended Messi, saying, “There wasn’t much there. He didn’t fully cover his hand. You don’t want to see players sent off in a World Cup final for that.”