Argentina vice-president brands England 'usurping pirates' ahead of World Cup semi-final

Argentina’s vice-president Victoria Villarruel has branded England “invaders” and “usurping pirates” in a provocative post on X ahead of the two nations’ World Cup semi-final in Atlanta on Wednesday.

The post, which quickly drew international attention, leaned heavily on the historical grievances that have defined the Argentina–England rivalry for decades. “Tomorrow we play against the usurping pirates,” Villarruel wrote. “This isn’t just another match. I’m not going to be politically correct or cold-hearted; against the English, it’s always something more. It’s the Malvinas, it’s Diego, it’s Leo’s last one, and it’s putting the brakes on the invaders. Go Argentina! Because until our last breath, we’re going to claim what’s ours!”

Las Malvinas is Argentina’s name for the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory that was the subject of a 1982 armed conflict between the two countries. A 2013 referendum saw islanders vote overwhelmingly to remain under UK sovereignty.

The rhetoric prompted a security response at tournament level. A meeting involving the FBI, FIFA, and local Atlanta law enforcement addressed the historical animosity between the two nations and the potential for fan confrontations, with additional personnel deployed to the venue.

Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni took a markedly different tone at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday, explicitly rejecting any attempt to frame the match in political terms.

“It’s a football match; I can’t mix things up, out of respect for what happened so many years ago,” Scaloni said. “It was a very sad time in our history, and there isn’t much we can do about it. Mixing the two would be madness. We criticise that there was war.”

Scaloni acknowledged that the memory of the conflict remains present for many Argentinians while insisting the players of today should not be burdened with it. “Yes, we remember Argentinian people and people that were lost in the war, but let’s not conflate things. What do the players of today have to do with many, many years ago?”

The semi-final adds another chapter to one of football’s most charged international rivalries, one already coloured by Diego Maradona’s infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal at the 1986 World Cup. For Lionel Messi, widely expected to be competing in his final World Cup, the match carries its own separate weight.