Argentina risk FIFA sanction after Falkland Islands flag during England victory celebrations | Football News

Argentina could face disciplinary action from FIFA after its players celebrated their FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final victory over England by displaying a flag supporting the country’s claim to the Falkland Islands.The defending champions staged a dramatic comeback in Atlanta, scoring twice late in the match to beat Thomas Tuchel’s England 2-1 and book a place in Sunday’s World Cup final against Spain.After the final whistle, Argentina’s players celebrated with a banner that read “Las Malvinas son Argentinas”, which translates to “The Falklands are Argentina.”

The Falklands dispute has been going on for a long time

The Falkland Islands are a British overseas territory in the South Atlantic Ocean. However, Argentina has long claimed sovereignty over the islands.The two countries fought a 74-day war on the islands between April and June 1982. The conflict claimed the lives of 655 Argentine soldiers, 255 British soldiers and three islanders.This is not the first time Argentina has faced action over the issue. In 2014, FIFA fined the Argentine Football Association £20,000 after players displayed a banner bearing the same message before a friendly against Slovenia.At the time, world football’s governing body ruled that the act violated its regulations on political action and team misconduct.

Argentina’s vice-president reacted

After Wednesday’s victory, Argentina’s vice-president Victoria Villarruel celebrated the result on social media.“It’s not just a game”, he wrote alongside a video showing Argentine soldiers.He later added: “The Falklands are Argentina. They forbid us to bring them to the stadium and forget that we bring them with our blood and our hearts.”Before the semi-final, Villarruel also described the match as “about putting the invaders in their place”.Argentina players earlier sang songs referring to the Falklands, along with football legends Diego Maradona and Lionel Messiafter their dramatic 3-2 last-16 victory over Egypt.Argentina now take on Spain at the MetLife Stadium on Sunday as they look to become only the third nation to win back-to-back victories. FIFA World Cup titles.