A serious broadcasting error has rocked Argentine media during the 2026 World Cup, with a popular TV presenter resigning and several staff members losing their jobs after falsely announcing the death of Lionel Messi’s father.
According to The Guardian, Florencia Peña declared live on Luzu TV that Jorge Messi had died, going on to speculate that the Argentina captain might withdraw from the tournament entirely. The report was wholly inaccurate. The Messi family subsequently issued a statement confirming that Jorge is in hospital with an undisclosed medical issue, but stressed he is “progressing favourably”.
Peña resigned shortly after the broadcast and issued a public apology on social media. She explained that unverified information had been passed to her through her earpiece by the production team during the live show, and that she had trusted it without question. Despite placing the primary blame on those behind the scenes, she accepted personal responsibility for the error. “I am deeply ashamed to have been the vehicle for this pain,” she wrote in Spanish.
Luzu TV, a streaming channel launched in 2020 that has become a widely followed news source in Argentina, also issued a formal apology and confirmed that all staff deemed responsible had been dismissed. The channel described broadcasting sensitive information without proper verification as “unacceptable”. Media reports in Argentina indicate that as many as 10 brands pulled their sponsorship from the channel almost immediately after the story broke.
The Messi family’s statement made clear their frustration at what they called a “lack of sensitivity, respect and scruples” from some sections of the media. They emphasised that only their closest family members hold accurate information about Jorge’s condition, and asked that anything not coming directly from the family be disregarded.
On the pitch, Messi’s participation in the World Cup 2026 hub continues. He scored a hat-trick in Argentina’s opening 3-0 win over Algeria in Kansas City — his record sixth World Cup campaign — with the reigning champions next facing Austria on Monday in Arlington, Texas. You can follow all the action and keep tabs on how the groups are shaping up via our live standings.
Separately, Algeria have written to Fifa’s refereeing commission to complain about decisions made during their defeat, specifically regarding a first-half incident in which Messi appeared to stand on the calf of Algeria captain Aïssa Mandi. The match was refereed by Poland’s Szymon Marciniak, who also took charge of the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar.