&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Argentina to celebrate World Cup semi-final triumph over England with special day")
Argentina’s Football Association (AFA) has unanimously approved Jul 15 as ‘National Football Teams Day’ to mark the national team’s dramatic win over England in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final. Argentina made a stunning comeback to beat England 2-1 and reach the WC final for the second consecutive edition after scoring twice from the 85th minute onwards to overturn an early deficit.
“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 victory had significance beyond football because of the long-standing dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands, known as the Islas Malvinas in Argentina.
The islands are located about 300 miles from mainland Argentina and nearly 8,000 miles from Great Britain. The dispute over their ownership remains a sensitive political issue in both the countries.
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After Argentina’s semi-final win, the players celebrated on the field with a banner that read, “Las Malvinas son Argentinas”, meaning “The Malvinas are Argentinian”.
The message drew an immediate response in England and across the UK and the British government later asked FIFA to investigate the incident, turning the celebrations into a disciplinary matter.
Argentina went on to reach the final but failed to defend their World Cup title after losing to Spain. The final also ended in heated scenes, with players from both teams involved in clashes after the match.
FIFA later opened disciplinary proceedings against Argentina players Leandro Paredes and Nahuel Molina, as well as assistant coach Roberto Ayala, over alleged physical assaults.
The AFA also came under criticism for several other issues, as FIFA investigated the political references made during the semi-final celebrations, while separate allegations of racist abuse and inappropriate chanting were also looked into.
Argentina’s political leadership defended the players’ decision to display the Falklands message.
President Javier Milei described the celebration as “perfectly valid” and said it reflected a sentiment shared by many Argentinians. However, Milei also accepted that FIFA could take action over the incident and said that he expected the governing body to issue a financial penalty against Argentina.
