Argentina players have celebrated their World Cup semi-final victory over England by holding a banner about the Falkland Islands on the pitch in Atlanta.

Argentine boss Lionel Scaloni had said before the game he did not want the fixture to become about the conflict over the British overseas territory.

But after his side came from 1-0 down with five minutes left on Wednesday (Thursday AEST) to win 2-1 and reach a second successive World Cup final, players held up a banner that read “Las Malvinas son Argentinas”, which translates to “The Falkland Islands are Argentinian”.

The banner had also been visible in the stands.

One of those players involved was midfielder and unused substitute Giovani Lo Celso, who previously played in England for Tottenham Hostpur.

World football body FIFA bans players and officials from displaying political messages around World Cup matches, so the defending South American and world champions could face sanctions.

Political tensions linger between Argentina and Great Britain over the Falkland Islands, which boiled over into conflict in 1982.

Argentina has repeatedly claimed sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, which are about 12,875 kilometres from Britain and 483 kilometres from mainland Argentina.

¡Argentina finalista del mundo! Gracias Enzo, Gracias Lautaro, Gracias Selección Argentina por darnos una alegría más! 🇦🇷 ¡No era un partido más! pic.twitter.com/JL5NoIt8Kj

— Victoria Villarruel (@VickyVillarruel) July 15, 2026

Argentinian Vice-President Victoria Villarruel wrote on X before the game: “We play against the usurping pirates.

“I’m not going to be politically correct or cold-hearted; against the English, it’s always something more.”

And she tweeted a victory message at fulltime saying, “it wasn’t just another match” alongside a video of what appeared to be Argentinian soldiers.

Villarruel’s father fought in the Falklands War for Argentina’s military dictatorship.

–with DPA