FIFA on Wednesday confirmed that Gianluca Prestianni will serve a global suspension that could rule the Benfica winger out of Argentina’s opening two matches at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The decision comes after FIFA accepted UEFA’s request to extend Prestianni’s six-game suspension worldwide following his verbal abuse of Vincius Junior during a February Champions League clash against Real Madrid.
Prestianni, 20, was punished by UEFA two weeks ago after Vincius alleged that the Benfica winger directed a racist slur at him during the match. The Argentine player denied making a racist remark and reportedly claimed he had instead used a homophobic insult.
UEFA ultimately imposed a six-match suspension, with three matches suspended on probation, after determining that Prestianni verbally abused the Brazilian forward while covering his mouth with his jersey during the exchange.
“The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has decided to extend the six-match ban imposed by UEFA on Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni to have worldwide effect,” FIFA said in a statement.
The ruling means Prestianni would miss Argentina’s first two World Cup group-stage matches if selected in Lionel Scaloni’s squad. Defending champions Argentina begin their campaign against Algeria on June 17 in Kansas City before facing Austria five days later in Arlington, Texas. World Cup debutants Jordan are also in the group.
It remains unclear whether Prestianni is still part of Scaloni’s plans. The winger has made only one senior appearance for Argentina, coming in a friendly last November, and was an unused substitute during Argentina’s World Cup warm-up against Zambia on March 31.
Scaloni had included Prestianni in Argentina’s March squad despite the ongoing UEFA investigation, explaining at the time that he needed attacking reinforcements because Paulo Dybala was unavailable.
UEFA investigated allegations from Vincius and Madrid teammate Kylian Mbapp that Prestianni used the Spanish word for “monkey” while hiding his mouth behind his red Benfica jersey. UEFA said it could not conclusively prove the alleged racist insult, though Prestianni admitted to using a homophobic slur.
The winger already served the first game of the suspension when UEFA barred him from Benfica’s Champions League playoff second leg against Real Madrid in February.
Last week, football lawmakers at IFAB approved FIFA-backed changes that make it a red-card offense for players to cover their mouths while insulting opponents during matches.
If Prestianni is not selected for Argentina’s World Cup squad, he will serve the remaining matches of his suspension in UEFA competitions next season.
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