Overview
- A police dossier first reported by Spanish outlet Informacion.es and published Aug. 7–8 describes multiple alleged terror threats that singled out Lionel Messi, including an X post claiming to enter Atlanta’s stadium with bombs and a caller to Dallas airport who mentioned homemade bombs and an AR‑15.
- U.S. federal and international police coordination through an FBI‑linked International Police Cooperation Center is described in the files as monitoring alerts in real time and prompting local responses such as arrests, K‑9 and explosives teams and stadium searches.
- The documents detail widespread harassment beyond Messi: Cristiano Ronaldo faced repeated stalking incidents and hotel arrests, French referee François Letexier received thousands of threatening messages and several other players and officials were targeted online or in person.
- All reporting so far is based on the leaked security dossier rather than a formal public release from the FBI, IPCC or host agencies, and outlets cite operational actions recorded in the files without publishing the full underlying records.
- The files underscore the heavy security burden at the U.S.‑hosted World Cup, the strain on players and referees who required protection, and the likelihood of follow‑up probes or official statements as authorities review the incidents.