Mexico’s national team tried on their new $1 million Rolexes in the locker room, not knowing they would be told by FIFA to give them back days later

The Mexican national soccer team has returned a collection of Rolex watches gifted to the squad by YouTuber SteveWillDoIt, as detailed by BroBible. The gesture followed Mexico’s Round of 32 win over Ecuador at the 2026 World Cup, a match the content creator had reportedly backed with a $2 million bet. SteveWillDoIt, whose real name is Stephen Deleonardis, visited the team afterward and handed out the luxury watches to players and staff, a haul that totaled more than $1 million in value.

Locker room footage showed several players, including Luis Chávez, trying on their watches and thanking the influencer. One player was recorded asking why he had done it, and Deleonardis explained that he lived in Mexico and had bet $2 million on the team, so the gesture was on him. Chávez and teammates were later seen wearing the watches while celebrating with Deleonardis after the match.

The celebration did not last long. FIFA maintains rules limiting the value of gifts that players and officials can accept, and the size of this particular gift quickly drew scrutiny. Mexico’s federation subsequently announced that the players had agreed among themselves to give the watches back.

FIFA’s gift rules left little room for something this expensive

FIFA-licensed agent Joseph Adamfio told BroBible that FIFA’s policy exists to keep gifts from influencing decisions made by officials, agents, executives, and other football professionals. He said the rule is meant to guard against bribery and corruption while keeping the sport fair. Elsewhere this week, viral attention also landed on a hotel violation fee dispute, a reminder of how quickly a dispute over money can draw public scrutiny.

Mexico’s national team confirmed the decision in a statement, saying that by mutual agreement, the players decided to return the watches that SteveWillDoIt had given them on his own initiative. The federation did not elaborate further on how the decision was reached internally.

FIFA’s Code of Ethics, last updated in 2023, restricts officials and players from accepting gifts beyond symbolic or trivial value, and it states that gifts should not be accepted at all if there is any doubt about their appropriateness. Because the Rolex collection given to the Mexican squad was worth well over $1 million, it fell far outside that threshold. Separately, a video showing an officer’s RC boat confrontation also circulated widely this week, unrelated to the FIFA matter but part of the same broader cycle of viral clips.

BroBible reported that FIFA is looking into the matter, though neither FIFA nor Deleonardis has issued a detailed public response since the watches were returned. Mexico’s players have moved on to preparing for their next round of the tournament.