Argentina has given US authorities a list of 35,000 people banned from soccer matches, including 13,000 parents dependent on supporting children, as it seeks to keep them out of World Cup stadiums when Argentina plays the United States.
Argentina’s National Security Minister Alejandra Monteoliva sent the database to the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and other international law enforcement agencies ahead of Argentina’s World Cup matches on U.S. soil.
“Those in default on child support payments will no longer be allowed to enter the stadium,” Monteoliva said. “If you don’t fulfill your obligations, you stay out of the stadium.”
The names come from Argentina’s Tribuna Segura (“Safe Stands”) database, which was introduced in Buenos Aires in 2016 and expanded into a nationwide program two years later. The system checks fans’ national ID cards at stadium entrances and flags those with outstanding arrest warrants or bans from attending football matches.
On May 13, Argentine authorities added approximately 13,000 parents owed child support to the database. The government then shared the updated list with US law enforcement on June 11.
The United States has no comparable nationwide system for screening fans at sporting events. Michael Alcazar, a former NYPD detective and assistant professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said a similar program could help authorities locate wanted suspects.
“I think it’s a valuable tool,” Alcazar said. “When people are attending sporting events they typically have their security guards removed, and you can potentially track down and detain many criminals that way – as long as our court system is cool with it.”
Argentine authorities said the Tribuna Segura program identified more than 1,100 people with outstanding arrest warrants during more than 1,300 matches between 2023 and 2025.
According to an Instagram post by Goal, Buenos Aires Mayor Jorge Macri said that parents who fail to pay child support should face consequences.
The mayor of Buenos Aires said, “Those who fail to fulfill a basic responsibility such as feeding their children will face consequences. If they do not feed their children, they will not be allowed to enter the stadium.”
It’s unclear whether U.S. officials plan to use Argentina’s database to bar anyone from attending World Cup matches. Last month, the State Department announced it would begin revoking passports of people who owe at least $100,000 in child support.
The State Department said it would work with the Department of Health and Human Services to identify individuals with more than $2,500 in unpaid child support. Officials have not said how many people may ultimately lose their passports.
