Lionel Messi and the entire Argentina squad have had their passport details accidentally leaked in a major data breach before a pre-World Cup friendly, after the official team sheet was published with sensitive personal information left fully visible and subsequently reproduced by multiple media outlets.
The embarrassing security failure occurred ahead of Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Iceland in Alabama on Wednesday morning, watched by 88,000 fans. When nations submit team sheets before kick-off, they sometimes include passport numbers alongside player details — but that private information is ordinarily blurred or removed before being distributed to the media. On this occasion it was not, according to the Daily Mail, exposing the passport numbers of every player in Lionel Scaloni’s starting XI and substitutes, including Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez and Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez alongside Messi himself.
The error is understood to be the responsibility of Road to ’26, the Turkish Airlines-sponsored company organising the friendly — a firm that has arranged multiple pre-tournament matches in the United States ahead of the World Cup. Iceland avoided a similar leak because they did not include passport numbers on their own team sheet.
The breach raises serious security concerns. Leaked passport details can be exploited for identity fraud and are particularly sensitive for high-profile individuals who travel internationally. For players of Messi’s global profile, the exposure represents a significant personal security risk, and the incident will prompt urgent questions about the data handling procedures of companies involved in organising international football fixtures.
On the pitch, Argentina looked in promising shape despite the off-field chaos. Valentin Barco opened the scoring in the first half, with Messi — coming off the bench in the 70th minute — converting a penalty before Thiago Almada wrapped up a comfortable 3-0 win. Messi had been carrying a hamstring injury sustained while playing for Inter Miami last month, and his return from the bench was closely watched by those monitoring his fitness ahead of the tournament.
Speaking after the game, Messi offered a positive update. “I’m happy, enjoying every moment, and excited as always,” he said. “I felt really good. I wanted to get going and shake off the lingering fears that come with an injury — to be able to play freely. We have a week left to get everyone in top shape and be ready for the opener.”
The reigning World Cup champions, who also hold back-to-back Copa America titles, face Algeria, Jordan and Austria in their group, with their opening match against Algeria coming next Wednesday.
