Argentina announces special day to celebrate World Cup semi-finals win over England
Argentina’s Football Association (AFA) has unanimously approved July 15 as ‘National Football Teams Day’ to commemorate the national side’s dramatic victory over England in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final.
Argentina produced a stunning late turnaround to beat England 2-1 and book their place in the World Cup final for a second consecutive edition. England appeared on course for victory after taking a 1-0 lead, but Argentina struck twice from the 85th minute onwards to complete a remarkable comeback.
“The date was chosen to commemorate the Albiceleste’s great and historic victory over England in the semi-final of the 2026 World Cup,” AFA said in a statement following Wednesday’s council executive meeting, according to ESPN.
“The team, led by Lionel Scaloni, were trailing the English side by a single goal but, thanks to goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez, managed to turn the result around and send the whole country into a frenzy, with people flooding the streets in celebration.”
FALKLAND ISLANDS CONTROVERSY
The result, however, carried significance beyond football because of the long-running dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands, which Argentina calls the Islas Malvinas.
The islands are located roughly 300 miles from mainland Argentina and around 8,000 miles from Great Britain. The political dispute over their sovereignty has remained a deeply sensitive issue in both countries.
Following Argentina’s semi-final victory, members of the team celebrated on the pitch with a banner carrying the message, “Las Malvinas son Argentinas”, which translates to “The Malvinas are Argentinian”.
The display immediately triggered a strong reaction in England and the wider UK. The British government subsequently called on FIFA to examine the incident, turning the post-match celebrations into a disciplinary issue.
Argentina eventually reached the final but failed to retain the World Cup after being beaten by Spain. The final was followed by heated scenes, with clashes breaking out between members of the two teams after the match.
FIFA subsequently initiated disciplinary proceedings against Argentina players Leandro Paredes and Nahuel Molina, along with assistant coach Roberto Ayala, over allegations relating to physical assaults.
The AFA also faced scrutiny on several fronts. FIFA launched investigations into the political references made during the semi-final celebrations, while separate allegations involving racist abuse and inappropriate chanting were also examined.
Argentina’s political leadership, meanwhile, defended the players’ decision to display the Falklands message.
President Javier Milei called the celebration “perfectly valid” and said the sentiment expressed by the players was representative of a feeling shared across Argentina.
Milei nevertheless acknowledged that FIFA could take action over the incident, saying he expected the governing body to impose a financial penalty on the Argentine side.
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