Argentina captain Lionel Messi reportedly faced multiple threats of terrorist attacks during the 2026 Fifa World Cup, including warnings that attackers planned to kill or “blow up” the football star.

The threats were among several security incidents involving players, referees and fans during the tournament, according to a leaked police dossier cited by Spanish newspaper Informacion.es.

The dossier reportedly documented cases involving bomb threats, stalking, online abuse and threats against footballers and match officials.

One of the most serious incidents took place ahead of Argentina’s 28 June match against Jordan in Texas. A man reportedly called Dallas airport and claimed he was travelling to the stadium with two other people carrying homemade bombs and an AR-15 rifle.

According to the police document, the caller said the group intended to target police officers and players from both teams and specifically mentioned Messi.

Messi reportedly faced another bomb threat online during Argentina’s 7 July match against Egypt.

An X user claimed they were about to enter Atlanta’s stadium with four bombs strapped to their body and threatened to blow up Messi.

On the same day, police reportedly received another call from a man claiming to have planted three bombs in separate rubbish bins inside the stadium.

The threat prompted a major security operation, with explosives specialists, canine handlers and K-9 units searching the stadium during and after the match.

However, Messi was not the only high-profile player to face security threats during the tournament.

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly faced repeated harassment, including an incident in which a man was arrested after allegedly seeking information about the player’s accommodation in Houston. In another incident in Canada, a fan reportedly attempted to enter an elevator with Ronaldo.

France forward Kylian Mbappe also faced xenophobic abuse following a confrontation with Paraguay’s goalkeeper. Paraguay fans reportedly burned an effigy of Mbappe after France eliminated the country from the tournament on 4 July.

Referee Francois Letexier reportedly received more than 6,000 messages on his personal WhatsApp account following Egypt’s controversial Round of 16 defeat to Argentina.

Other players, including Norway’s Alexander Sorloth, Colombian winger Jaminton Campaz and France defender Lucas Digne, also reportedly faced threats linked to incidents during matches.

Sorloth and his wife were reportedly targeted after the Atletico Madrid forward missed a scoring opportunity.

The incidents were reportedly monitored by the FBI in coordination with the International Police Cooperation Center (IPCC), according to the dossier.

The IPCC brought together US federal agencies and law enforcement authorities from participating countries to monitor terrorism alerts, threats against players, unruly fans and other security incidents throughout the tournament.