WATCH: Fight erupts in stands amid Brazil vs Argentina FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier

Brazil vs Argentina is the greatest rivalry in South America and one of the best in the world of football and, just like the players, the fans also take encounters between both sides way too seriously and treat, even a friendly, like a final.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifying match between the rivals was delayed for 30 minutes due to a fight in the stands on Tuesday in Rio de Janeiro which led to the involvement of the ground security, followed by some brutal encounters between the audience and the police.

Disturbance emerged between the home supporters and Argentinian fans during the national anthems and the visiting supporters removed and threw the seats towards the officers after they intervened.

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The chaos at one part of the ground created panic among all those present in the stands and some fans even entered the pitch to escape the trouble. One fan was taken to the nearby hospital on a stretcher after sustaining a serious injury.

The Argentinian team, led by Lionel Messi, tried to calm the situation by going near the stands but things got way out of hand and they had to turn back to the dressing room.

However, that was not the end of the aggression as the 90 minutes between the rivals saw a total of 42 fouls, 26 by Brazil and 16 by Argentina, and a total of four cards were shown.

Argentina won the game 1-0 courtesy of a header by Nicolas Otamendi in the 63rd minute of the game and extended their winning streak against Brazil.

This was the first time the five-time world champions lost a FIFA World Cup qualifier game at their home.

Brazil were without two of their most players, Vinicius Junior and Neymar Jr., the latter is out till February due to some hamstring problems while the former tore his ACL with the national team.

After six matches played, Argentina stand on top with 15 points while Brazil is ranked sixth, the last spot that guarantees a place at the 2026 World Cup.