Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum denied accusations made by his Argentine counterpart Javier Milei about Mexico allegedly funding an “anti-Argentina campaign” during the 2026 World Cup.
“It is false. There has not been any campaign against any country nor government in the world,” Sheinbaum said during a press conference on Monday, after being asked about the claims.
“What we have here is the opposite — a campaign orchestrated from many quarters against our government. But not us,” Sheinbaum said. “We don’t have the habit of meddling in other countries’ affairs, and we ask for the same in return.”
Sheinbaum’s statement adds another layer to the diplomatic crisis triggered by Milei’s comments during and after his visit to Brazil over the weekend.
In an interview he gave on Sunday, Milei accused Mexico, Brazil and the United States’ Democratic Party of designing and funding a campaign to defame Argentina during the World Cup, which includes widespread accusations of racism and anti-sportsmanship against the players.
Mexico was one of the countries that hosted the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside the United States and Canada.
“Do you know who put the most money into this anti-Argentina campaign? The Brazilian government,” Milei told Radio Mitre after returning from São Paulo on Sunday.
“Twenty-five percent of the funds came from the Brazilian government. And then they come and talk about interference,” he added, without providing evidence to support the claim.
He added that Mexico and U.S. Democrats had also weighed in on the supposed campaign by “funding” it, and added that they are “progressive leaders who don’t want the ideas of freedom to work,” indicating he believes that the reason behind the supposed scheme is to go against his government.
Milei and Lula
Brazil decided to recall their ambassador to Buenos Aires and summoned the Argentine ambassador to Brasilia on Sunday after Milei insulted President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes while attending a Libertarian Party convention in São Paulo. There, he gave a speech to express support for far-right presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, Da Silva’s rival.
Lula did not directly respond to the accusations or insults. “Here in Brazil, we don’t accept anyone sticking their nose where it doesn’t belong, because Brazil knows how to take care of itself,” he said on Monday during a union event.
While he did not mention anyone in particular, Da Silva’s statement comes right after Milei’s comments and United States President Donald Trump’s decision to send two representatives linked to the State Department to monitor the October 4 Brazilian elections, although their visas were denied by the local foreign ministry.
