Following the dramatic 2-1 victory over the England team in the 2026 World Cup semifinals, the Argentina national team surprisingly became involved in controversy when the players’ celebration was alleged to have violated FIFA’s Disciplinary Code.
Right after the final whistle blew, the Argentine players celebrated together and raised a flag with the words “The Malvinas Islands belong to Argentina”.
This flag refers to the armed conflict between Argentina and the United Kingdom that took place from April to June 1982 concerning the sovereignty of the Malvinas (Falkland), South Georgia, and South Sandwich Islands. According to Bolavip, this is the type of message containing political elements that FIFA strictly prohibits from appearing in football events.
Which FIFA regulation did Argentina violate?
Item e, Section 2, Article 17 of the 2026 FIFA Disciplinary Code stipulates that if one or more supporters, members, or representatives of a member association use:
- Gestures;
- Words;
- Banners;
- Objects;
- Or any other means to transmit messages of a political, ideological, religious, or offensive nature at a sporting event, they may be subject to disciplinary action.
In Argentina’s case, the flag related to the sovereignty issue of the Malvinas Islands is believed to potentially fall into the category of political messages.
What penalties could FIFA apply?
If the FIFA Disciplinary Committee determines that the actions of the Argentine players and supporters violated Article 17, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) may receive one or more forms of sanction under Article 6 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, including:
Warning.
Reprimand.
Fine or other financial sanctions.
Playing without spectators.
Limiting the number of spectators.
Playing on neutral ground.
Ban on using a specific stadium.
Annulment of a match result.
Point deduction.
Disqualification from ongoing or future competitions.
Replay of a match.
Implementation of additional preventive measures.
Notably, the annulment of a match result is listed in the category of disciplinary sanctions that FIFA can apply. However, this does not mean Argentina will definitely have their victory over England annulled, as any decision still depends on the conclusion of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee following a review of the incident.
