A few hours left for world champions' debut at the 2026 World Cup. Argentina faces Algeria at dawn in Kansas City. However, on Monday evening (15/6) fans of the two national teams were involved in a wild encounter in the New York Times Square.
Argentina fans had gathered for a traditional "banderazo“ – the mass gathering, in which flags of the country wave and are organized before important games – coloring the famous Times Square in blue and white before the race.
New York: une violente bagarre éclate entre advocates algériens et argentins pic.twitter. com/JbccdUSgGQ— BFM (@BFMTV) June 16, 2026
Algeria fans along with French and Senegalese were gathered in the same space. According to Infobae's report citing Le Parisien, fans began to exchange obscene gestures and offensive slogans and then confrontation evolved into hand-to-hand combat, with fists, kicks and pushes being exchanged among fans.
🚨 #ALERTA | Hay peleas entre hinchas de Argentina y Argelia en Times Square.pic.twitter. Com/J3fV695XzO— Mundo en Conflicto 🌎 (@MundoEConflicto) June 16, 2026
Video released on social media captures minors and unprepared passersby running to avoid the objects being launched, while some pedestrians tried to separate the groups.
Après la fête, des violets éclatent entre supporters algériens et argentins à Times Square. La police intervient pour les séparer 😬
Le choc Argentine - Algérie du 17 juin promet d'être électorique (3:00 heure franchise) ~! pic.twitter. com/ikVas6kfPG— Foot01 (@Foot01 com) June 16, 2026
The Spanish medium Diario AS described the scene as "batalla campal“ (a fierce battle) and called it “primera imagen fea del Mundial“ the first ugly picture of the World Cup.
The New York Police (NYPD) intervened in order to dissolve the conflicts and proceeded to arrest, as reported by Le Figaro and Infobae.