As part of the FIFA World Cup 2026, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) has announced its partnership with Winna.com, an online betting house and casino with cryptocurrencies, which will become its regional sponsor.
The brand, operated by GG Gaming LLC, a company based in Costa Rica, will be a partner of the current world champions. The agreement, whose financial details have not been disclosed, includes campaigns and activations aimed at fans.
“Fans can expect a packed agenda of promotions and activations throughout the World Cup, including the opportunity for everyone to bet on Argentina with a 0 percent house edge during the 2026 tournament. It’s our way of celebrating the champions alongside the fans who love them,” stated representatives from Winna.com.
According to AFA, the agreement strengthens the institution’s positioning in key markets globally. It also falls within the global management and expansion model that Argentine football’s governing body has been pursuing for the past nine years.
AFA is one of the federations with the most sponsorships in the world. It has a current agreement with BetWarrior, a company that has been in the eye of the storm in recent weeks over an ad that promotes its betting house using the image and voice of Diego Armando Maradona, created with artificial intelligence. It also announced a partnership with Kalshi last month, amid debate over the regulation of prediction markets. Countries such as Brazil and Spain have blocked these types of platforms, considering them to be gambling operations running without authorization.
Legal setback for AFA
The Winna.com sponsorship arrives at a particularly delicate moment for the organization that governs Argentine football.
Last week, the Argentine Court of Appeals for Economic Criminal Matters confirmed the indictments of Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia and Pablo Ariel Toviggino, president and treasurer of AFA, as well as the indictment of the entity itself in the case over alleged tax evasion.
The accusation involves failing to pay more than 19 billion pesos in taxes and employer contributions on time. The complaint was filed by the Collection and Customs Control Agency (ARCA).
The indictments were confirmed by appellate judges Roberto Hornos and Carolina Robiglio. They had been issued by federal criminal and economic judge Diego Amarante, who found it proven that the crime of aggravated misappropriation of taxes had been committed, repeated on 34 occasions, in conjunction with the crime of aggravated misappropriation of social security funds, repeated on 17 occasions.
With this decision, the indictments of Tapia, Toviggino, and AFA became final, and the case moves forward to the oral trial stage.
The defense
In his appearance before Amarante in March, Tapia denied having “deliberately decided, ordered, executed, or consented to the failure to remit taxes or social security funds withheld by the Argentine Football Association.”
He also claimed to have no decision-making power over the tax matters of which he is accused. “Beyond the institutional position I hold, I have neither the personal nor legal authority to make decisions on tax matters, which is the subject of this case,” he stated.
AFA stated that the payment of its tax obligations was made in a timely and proper manner.
However, the appellate court stated in its ruling that “no evidence included in the main case file provides support” for the argument “that it has been proven that the respective withholdings and collections were made.”
It also noted that AFA, “throughout the entire period in which the events under investigation allegedly took place,” had funds in its accounts, “which shows that it had a financial situation that allowed it to meet the deposits of the withheld and collected amounts.”
This is not the first time that the head of Argentine football’s top authority has been investigated by the courts. He has also been involved in cases involving alleged money laundering and illicit association.