The Argentine Football Federation has announced that July 15 will be "National Football Team Day", to mark Argentina's victory over England in the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup.
Seeking their first World Cup final since 1966, England took the lead in a tense match in Atlanta on July 15. Anthony Gordon had scored to make it 1-0.
But Thomas Tuchel's men fell back on defense, as Argentina scored in the 85th and 92nd minutes to break England's hearts and win 2-1. The victory came 40 years after Argentina's previous major World Cup victory over England, a controversial victory in the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup.
After Argentina's recent victory, political tensions surrounding the match were stirred. Some of the Argentine players celebrated by holding a banner that read "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" (The Malvinas are Argentina's). This refers to the Falkland Islands, known in Argentina as the Malvinas. The islands are controlled by the United Kingdom, and a war was fought over them in 1982. Argentina briefly took control of the islands, which were later returned by the United Kingdom.
Argentina at the time was ruled by a military junta led by General Leopoldo Galtier. The islands are 482 kilometers off the east coast of Argentina. The war lasted 74 days, between April and June 1982. 655 Argentine soldiers, 255 British soldiers and three island civilians were killed.
But the Falkland Islands remain the subject of a sovereignty dispute between the United Kingdom and Argentina.
In a 2013 referendum, 99.8 percent of Falkland Islanders voted to remain a territory of the United Kingdom, the BBC writes.
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World Cup banner turns "Malvinas" into obsession among young people in Argentina
However, the World Cup banner celebration has sparked "pro-Malvinas" sentiment in Argentina. The banner has become very famous and is appearing in many places across Argentina.
Argentina then lost 1-0 in the final to Spain. Meanwhile, England beat France to finish third in the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
