England vs Argentina: Is this World Cup clash about more than football?
When England plays Argentina in the World Cup semi final, it will be a new chance to settle the score for a centuries old ownership battle over the Falkland Islands. But does it mean more to one side than the other?
Listen to this article
What’s the story?
Fans arriving in Atlanta for the World Cup semi-final between England and Argentina will be greeted by increased security measures to prevent violence between supporters.
It has been rated the “highest risk” match at the 2026 World Cup by the FBI.
Atlanta Police has said in a statement that it has deployed "additional personnel and resources" to help ensure a "safe and enjoyable experience" for everyone.
"These proactive measures are designed to protect the public, deter criminal activity, and ensure residents and visitors can safely enjoy this historic event," it says.
But will any rivalry – in or outside the stadium – be solely about football, or could decades-old political rivalry over the ownership of the Falkland Islands also come into play?
Argentina fans have already faced accusations of violence and racism at previous matches in this year’s World Cup.
The Falkland Islands, 300 miles from the coast of South America, has been a British colony since 1833, and its ownership the cause of a war in 1982.
Does the game mean more to fans from Argentina?
The Falklands War took place over two months between April and June of 1982, with Britain retaining its hold on the islands, which are known by the name Isla Malvinas by the people of Argentina.
And while the issue of ownership still plays heavy in the minds of Argentinians, for British people 8,000 miles away, it barely registers as a pressing issue.
“In British minds, it all seems a very long time ago, it was a weird post-colonial thing that was really important for Margaret Thatcher,” says Jon Sopel.
“These two countries have got huge amounts of national pride, but there's also an antipathy in Argentina's case towards colonial rule and this question of what the hell are Britain still doing holding this crop of islands in the South Atlantic.”
Emily Maitlis says it is simply something British people don’t talk about in any context other than colonial history.
“We accept it as a bit of the Thatcher legacy, but it is sewn into that sense of Argentinian ownership,” She says.
“It is something that needs to happen for Argentina to feel complete. It is a bit like the way China talks about Taiwan, you know, getting back this renegade island that somehow got away, but they need to get it back.
“That is the mindset. If you're Argentinian, you think of Las Malvinas as being part of you.”
‘This is more than just 90 minutes to Argentina fans’
Football writer Andrew Mitten, founder of ‘United We Stand’ fanzine, editor-at-large at FourFourTwo magazine, tells The News Agents the issue of the Falkland Islands is a "huge issue" for people of Argentina in a way it is not for young Brits attending the semi-final.
"It's part of the mainstream in Argentina," Mitten tells Maitlis and Jon.
"You see it on flags at every stadium, I've been at games where veterans from the Falklands have been wheeled out as heroes on the pitch."
He believes the World Cup clash represents the geopolitical history between the two countries.
“It's far more than a game. The 90 minutes is only a part of it,” he says.
“The Argentina players have been singing about winning the World Cup for the Malvinas, and if you ask the England players where the Falkland Islands are, I dare say that most of them simply don't know about the situation.
“There is this thorn, there is this big issue, and it's not going to go away.”