Argentina and England will renew one of football’s fiercest rivalries in Wednesday’s World Cup semifinal. The match has also brought fresh attention to the long-running dispute over the Falkland Islands.

The encounter is the sixth World Cup meeting between the two nations. It is also their most anticipated clash since the 1986 tournament. That match featured Diego Maradona’s famous “Hand of God” goal, which knocked England out of the competition.

The game came just four years after the Falklands War, a conflict that claimed about 900 lives.

Political Tensions Resurface

Argentine President Javier Milei has generally sought better relations with the United Kingdom since taking office in 2023. However, recent events have pushed the Falklands issue back into the spotlight.

Concerns over oil exploration near the islands and shifts in Argentina’s foreign policy have renewed debate. The islands are known as the Islas Malvinas in Argentina.

Late Tuesday, Vice President Victoria Villarruel linked the football match to the sovereignty dispute.

“This isn’t just another match,” she wrote on X, describing England as “usurping pirates.”

“Against the English, it’s always something more,” she wrote. “It’s the Malvinas, it’s Diego, it’s Leo’s last, and it’s stopping the invaders in their tracks.”

Argentina Reasserts Its Claim

Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno recently reaffirmed Argentina’s claim to the islands. He described the issue as a “daily concern.”

Quirno pointed to calls from the Organisation of American States and the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonisation for renewed talks between Argentina and Britain.

He also rejected the legal significance of a 2013 referendum. In that vote, Falkland residents chose to remain a British territory. Quirno called the referendum a “trap.”

Focus Remains on Football

Despite the political rhetoric, both sides have urged fans to focus on the sport.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni dismissed suggestions that the game carries wider significance.

“It’s a football game, and that’s all,” Scaloni told reporters.

Former England striker Gary Lineker shared a similar view.

“I honestly think they’ll want to beat us because they want to win the World Cup, and I think we want to beat them because we want to win the World Cup,” Lineker said.

“Not to prove some point 40 odd years on.”

Analyst Ben Judah believes the match is unlikely to trigger a diplomatic crisis. However, he said it reflects the recent cooling of relations between Argentina and the UK.