Argentina players chant about Falklands after dramatic comeback win over Egypt

Argentina’s players chanted about the Falkland Islands in their dressing room moments after completing a dramatic round-of-16 comeback against Egypt at the 2026 World Cup, with a potential semi-final against England now looming on the horizon.

La Albiceleste looked to be heading for one of the tournament’s greatest upsets after Egypt struck either side of half-time to lead 2-0. But Argentina refused to yield, scoring three times in the final 14 minutes to advance and set up a quarter-final against Switzerland.

Should Argentina beat Switzerland and England overcome Norway in their own quarter-final, the two nations would meet in the semi-finals — a fixture that would inevitably be coloured by the bitter legacy of the 1982 Falklands conflict, in which Argentine forces invaded the remote British overseas territory in a 10-week armed struggle whose political consequences are still felt today.

The chant in question, which first gained widespread attention during Argentina’s 2022 World Cup campaign, makes direct reference to the islands — known as Las Malvinas in Argentina. One verse, as reported by the Express, reads: “I am Argentine from cradle to grave, for the Malvinas, for Diego, for Leo’s final chapter.” The song resurfaced during the current tournament and is expected to ring out loudly if England and Argentina do meet next week.

Before any semi-final can materialise, England must first navigate a quarter-final against Norway and Erling Haaland, who trails Lionel Messi by just one goal in the tournament’s scoring charts. The Norwegian camp has been disrupted by a wave of illness, with manager Stale Solbakken acknowledging the toll of constant travel. “We’ve really only had Jorgen [Strand Larsen] who has had a fever,” Solbakken said, “but then there’s been a bit of coughing and rasping evenly, scattered throughout. There’s air conditioning, flights, changing rooms and all that.”

The quarter-finals are set to be played in Miami on Saturday, meaning the prospect of an England-Argentina semi-final could be confirmed within days.