Gianluca Prestianni earned his sole Argentina cap in November 2025
Published May 6, 2026 • Source: bbc.com
By Ffion Wynne
Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni will miss Argentina's first two matches of this summer's World Cup if selected, as his ban for abusing Vinicius Jr has been extended worldwide.
Prestianni, 20, was given a six-match ban by Uefa last month after he admitted using homophobic language towards Real Madrid's Vinicius during their Champions League match in February.
He will be banned for two further games, having already served a provisional one-match ban, with the other three suspended for two years.
Football's global governing body Fifa has accepted Uefa's request for a worldwide ban.
Prestianni has only made one appearance for Argentina, which came in a friendly against Angola in November 2025.
Vinicius had initially accused Prestianni of racially abusing him, which Prestianni denied.
He would have faced a minimum 10-match ban from European competition if he had been found guilty of racist abuse.
If he is not selected in Argentina's World Cup squad, Prestianni will serve his ban in next season's Champions League or Europa League, with Benfica still battling for European qualification.
Prestianni raised his shirt to cover his mouth while speaking to Vinicius, and it has since been confirmed that players could be given a red card if they do this at the World Cup.