The Argentina vs. England match is more than just a semifinal, as it revives a decades-long territorial dispute over the Malvinas Islands. This will be the sixth time the two teams face each other in a World Cup, and it’s perhaps the most anticipated match since 1986, when Diego Maradona‘s “hand of God” eliminated England, four years after the brief but bloody war over the Malvinas Islands.
During most of his presidency, Javier Milei sought to moderate the discourse on the archipelago administered by the United Kingdom off the coast of Argentina. He also avoided nationalist promises to recover the territory that his leftist predecessors often made.
The match has once again brought the issue to the center of debate, just as expectations for improving bilateral relations were cooling down due to the arrival of a new chancellor, the advancement of oil projects in the Malvinas Islands, and signals that the US government under Donald Trump could reconsider its support for British sovereignty over the archipelago.
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Late on Tuesday, Vice President Victoria Villarruel published on social media that the upcoming match “is not just another game” and referred to England as “pirate usurpers”. She stated, “Tomorrow we play against the pirate usurpers. It’s not just another game. I won’t be politically correct or cold-blooded, against the English it’s always something more. It’s the Malvinas, it’s Diego, it’s Leo’s last game, and it’s stopping the invaders.”
On Saturday, before Argentina’s victory over Switzerland in the quarterfinals, Chancellor Pablo Quirno published a column in a newspaper reiterating Argentina’s claim to the islands, known in the UK as the Falkland Islands. Quirno called the issue a “daily cause” and remembered the recent calls from the Organization of American States and the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization for the UK to resume negotiations with Argentina over the islands’ sovereignty.
Quirno also rejected the validity of the 2013 referendum, in which the inhabitants of the Malvinas Islands voted to remain a British territory, calling it a “trap”. This stance contrasts with the perception of improved relations since Milei took office in 2023.
Milei, a libertarian leader, had described Margaret Thatcher, the British prime minister during the Falklands War, as one of the “great leaders in human history”. In 2024, his government reached an agreement with London to identify Argentine soldiers, organize trips for their families to visit their graves, and resume weekly direct flights to the islands.
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However, even before Quirno’s column, his appointment in October began to affect bilateral cooperation. “There was a political shift when they incorporated their new chancellor: they went from seeking cooperation with the UK to a more ‘Malvinist’ stance,” said Ben Judah, a visiting researcher at Chatham House and former advisor to former British Secretary of State David Lammy.
Part of Quirno’s concern is due to the advancement of an offshore oil project in the Malvinas Islands, according to a person familiar with the matter who requested anonymity due to the internal nature of the topic. In December, two foreign companies advanced plans to develop the Sea Lion oil field. After that announcement, Argentina stated that any unilateral exploration in a disputed territory violates UN resolutions.
Before the semifinal, figures from both sides of the Atlantic downplayed the political relevance of the match.
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Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, will play with a blue jersey in homage to Maradona’s 1986 victory, instead of their traditional albiceleste. For coach Lionel Scaloni, the match has little relevance beyond the sporting aspect, especially since Argentina is seeking to win a second World Cup title for Messi in what will likely be his last World Cup. Scaloni stated, “It’s a football match and nothing more.”
As the match approaches, it’s clear that the dispute over the Malvinas Islands is far from resolved. The outcome of the match will undoubtedly be closely watched.
The underlying tensions and unresolved issues make this more than just a semifinal.
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