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A mass brawl in the stands of the Maracana broke out ahead of Brazil’s World Cup qualifier against Argentina as fans and police clashed in shocking scenes.
The World Cup winners faced old rivals Brazil at the infamous Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Tuesday night but the blockbuster matchup was marred before it even begun.
Ahead of the game, rival supporters began fighting with one another during the Brazilian national anthem before clashing with Brazilian police, forcing kickoff to be delayed by half an hour.
It is unclear what sparked the incident but rival supporters were seen showing one another with some even ripping the seats from the stands and launching them at one another.
Hoards of Rio de Janeiro police swiftly intervened but struggled to curb the melee before shockingly using batons on the brawling fans.
Parts of seats flew around and hit some of the spectators behind one of the goals. At least one fan left the stadium bleeding from his head, while a video of the scenes showed a supporter profusely bleeding on the ground.
Some players from both Brazil and Argentina approached the stands to attempt to calm fans down.
However, a handful only added fuel to the fire as Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez leapt up towards the stands and appeared to try to grab a baton out of a police officer’s hand before being torn away from the scene by his teammates.
Lionel Messi ultimately led the Albiceleste players back into the locker rooms.
The reigning World Cup winners initially appeared to be refusing to return to the field for kickoff before CONMEBOL gave them 15 minutes to take the field.
Argentina told their Brazil rivals they would only return to the pitch after the situation was calm.
They eventually returned after 22 minutes in the dressing room, and warmed up for another three minutes before the game was finally started.
From there, the tension spilled onto the pitch, as Lionel Messi and Rodrygo exchanged some words.
The first half of action saw a whopping 22 fouls (16 for Brazil, six for Argentina) and three yellow cards (all on Brazil).
The rivals combined for just one shot on target as well.
Earlier, some fans climbed over the railings to escape the violence in the stands with mothers seen sheltering young children.
Other supporters were seen in tears after the violent scenes were finally quelled, clearly left shaken up as they waited to see their teams in action.
As the match began, dozens of policemen surrounded Argentina fans as they cheered, and even more security faced them on the pitch. Policemen gathered around the section that can hold about 3,000 fans.
All 69,000 tickets for the match in Rio de Janeiro were sold. Brazil fans, who jeered and applauded Messi before the brawl began, chanted against him when he returned to the pitch.
Brazil has never lost a World Cup qualifying match in its territory.
Both teams will play after defeats in the previous round of qualifying; the locals lost 2-1 at Colombia, and the World Cup champions were defeated at home 2-0 by Uruguay.
Argentina leads the 10-team South American qualifying group with 12 points through five matches. Uruguay is second with 10 points. Colombia has nine and Venezuela eight. Brazil will host the World Cup champions in fifth position, with seven points.
Ecuador, Paraguay and Chile have five points each. Bolivia has three and Peru one.
The 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada will include 48 teams, meaning direct entry for the top six teams from South America. The seventh-place team can earn a berth in an intercontinental playoff.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
