After defeating England 2-1 in the 2026 World Cup semifinals, Argentina national team players unfurled a flag bearing the phrase "Las Malvinas son argentinas".
The match ended with Argentina advancing to the final. Giovani Lo Celso first held the white cloth with black letters, and Lisandro Martínez joined along with other players.
The flag had been handwritten by anonymous fans on a bedsheet at a hotel in Atlanta. It passed controls despite FIFA rules banning political messages inside stadiums.
On Friday, July 17, the Argentine Football Association issued a statement. It highlighted that football represents a strategic national asset and generates international prestige without directly referencing the episode.
Political scientist Ángel Horacio Molina noted that the gesture gained force as it moved from the stands to the pitch and global screens.
