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Published 09:33 16 Jul 2026 GMT
Millions of England fans have woken up this morning with a sore head and a feeling of despair.
Argentina emerged victorious over the Three Lions in their World Cup semi-final on Wednesday night (July 15), winning 2-1 in a dramatic tie.
England took the lead in the 55th minute, but a number of bad substitutions and a change in game plan invited Argentina back into the game, as they staged a late comeback.
Goals in the 85th and 92nd minute condemned England to a familiar fate, while Argentina marched on to their second World Cup final in a row.
But aside from the footballing battle, the match between the two nations was very politically charged.
This is due to the decades-long controversy around the Falkland Islands, an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, just 300 miles off the coast of Argentina.
While it is a self-governing British Overseas Territory, Argentina continues to claim it, calling the archipelago the Islas Malvinas.
But Argentinian players took matters a step further, unfurling a banner after the game which read "Las Malvinas son Argentinas," translating to "The Falkland Islands are Argentinian," before leaving it on the pitch.
Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni had said that he didn't want the game to become about the conflict over the British territory, but some of the players had other ideas.
Political tensions have lingered for decades between Argentina and Great Britain over the Falkland Islands.
This all stems from a 74-day conflict in 1982 during which 655 Argentine servicemen, 255 British servicemen and three people from the islands died, in the Falklands War.
But according to football's lawmakers, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), and FIFA, there are heavy restrictions on political messages being sent by teams or supporters.
Any political flags, slogans and symbols being displayed can result in a punishment.
The IFAB law states: "Equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images.
"Players must not reveal undergarments that show political, religious, personal slogans, statements or images, or advertising other than the manufacturer's logo.
"For any offence the player and/or the team will be sanctioned by the competition organiser, national football association or by FIFA."
This isn't the first time that Argentinian players have sent a message about the Falklands, having held up a banner with the same wording following a friendly against Slovenia in 2014.
FIFA would fine the Argentine Football Association £20,000 ($27,000).
The European champions will face the South American champions in the pinnacle of international soccer, with Lionel Messi coming up against Lamine Yamal.
They will face off at the New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday, July 20, to decide who will win the sport's biggest prize.
While Messi and co. will be looking to become the first team in 64 years to win back-to-back World Cups, Spain will be hoping to win their second World Cup, with Yamal looking to write a new chapter in the nation's storied sporting history.
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Published 14:31 22 Dec 2022 GMT
Argentina has been celebrating its World Cup win with large-scale parties - but the celebrations took a nasty turn after a fan lost his life and a five-year-old was left in a coma.
Argentina came out on top of a nail-biting encounter with France in the World Cup final on December 18, with Lionel Messi wrapping up his illustrious career with the biggest prize in soccer.
He netted twice during the game, with Kylian Mbappe of France finding a response every time. The game went to penalties and Argentinian goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez proved to be the hero after saving one and seeing another go wide - though his antics after the game had divided opinions.
As per the BBC, an estimated 5 million people took to the streets of Buenos Aires (Argentina's capital city) as the heroic players displayed the newly won trophy on an open-top bus.
Revelers flocked to the streets wearing Argentina's famous blue and white soccer jersey - and the day was even declared a public holiday.
The celebrations soon descended into chaos as things got out of hand. Police were attacked with missiles, a fan lost his life and a five-year-old boy has been left in a coma.
The players and team staff on the bus had to abandon the vehicle as it became clear that it was impossible to drive through the thick crowds. A helicopter picked them up and they waved from afar.
As reported by the Mirror, the man who unfortunately died during the celebrations was standing on a rooftop when one of the plates broke - causing him to fall from a great height.
The outlet also states that a five-year-old boy was hit by a piece of a monument that fell in the Plaza San Martin, leaving him in a coma and needing intensive care.
Young men were also reported to have been seen pelting police with bottles and stones, as law enforcement was forced to hide behind riot shields.
Eight officers were left injured with 13 people arrested for their actions - though this number is expected to rise in the coming days when events of the day become clearer.
Published 14:17 15 Jul 2026 GMT
It's the end game for soccer fans across the globe this week.
There is just one FIFA World Cup semi-final left before the final is played on Sunday at the New York New Jersey Stadium, the pinnacle of international soccer.
Spain shocked the world and played France off the pitch in Tuesday's semi-final, coming out as 2-0 victors - they will now wait for tonight's result between England and Argentina to discover their final opponents.
England fans will be hoping that they can bring football home for the first time in 60 years, while Messi and Argentina will hope they can secure back-to-back World Cup wins after 2022's triumph.
Last edition's final between France and Argentina was one for the ages, with a 3-3 draw after extra-time forcing the game to penalties.
But in one split second following the most tense of moments at the final in 2022, a cameraman got a glimpse of a fan in the crowd who got a bit too excited, creating one of the most unexpected NSFW World Cup moments in recent history.
With Argentina's fourth penalty, right-back Gonzalo Montiel stepped up and buried his shot into the bottom left corner, securing a 4-2 shootout win before taking off his shirt and bursting into tears.
It was an emotional moment for Argentinian football, securing their first World Cup win since 1986 and Lionel Messi's first capture of the trophy in his career.
But among the celebrations, a BBC cameraman panned to the crowd and spotted a female Argentinian fan with her top off and her breasts out.
The footage played over a discussion between Gary Lineker and fellow pundits Alan Shearer, Rio Ferdinand and Pablo Zabaleta, who were reflecting on Argentina's third World Cup win.
Cameras quickly cut away from the crowd after realizing their mistake, with the fan standing in front of the spectators, with a banner beneath her.
She could be seen removing her top as the cameras panned to the crowd after the ceremony, but after turning to the fans and revealing her breasts in celebration, security took action.
The fan was removed from the stadium after women attending the 2022 World Cup in Qatar were warned about respecting the nation's strict laws on clothing and public indecency, which included a ban on tight clothing.
Ahead of tonight's semi-final showdown, broadcasters will be hoping to avoid any similar episodes.
Many eagle-eyed viewers were all too happy to talk about what they'd seen broadcast on live TV, as one joked: "She'll get a yellow card for that."
Another commented: “I spotted her, very brave! She’ll be arrested over there if she’s not careful…”
A third suggested: "Fortunately, it was the last game. She must be in Jail now," speaking about Qatar's no-nonsense laws.
“I'd be posting my boobs later to celebrate Messi and Argentina's World Cup,” an overly eager Messi fan wrote on social media.
Published 15:50 19 Dec 2022 GMT
It seems Sunday's World Cup final - which was viewed by over 3.75 billion people - even lit up the living room of Adelaide Cottage in Windsor, as Prince William may well have sat on the edge of his seat to watch the nail-biting win from Argentina like the rest of us.
The 120-minute football extravaganza between Argentina and France resulted in a final score of 3 - 3, forcing the teams to battle it out in a penalty shoot-out which saw Messi's Argentina take home the coveted World Cup trophy (which is made from pure 18-carat gold and worth $20 million). The drama-filled competition has been deemed the "best World Cup ever" by multiple outlets, including New York Magazine and CNN.
The Prince of Wales, 40, must have agreed after he wrote on his wife Kate Middleton's official Twitter account: "What. A. Final. Congratulations to Argentina and to Messi [sic]," accompanied by a goat emoji which stands for the acronym G.O.A.T - meaning "greatest of all time."
"Commiserations to France - both teams played brilliantly. W," he added.
However, the innocent tweet sparked outrage on social media after netizens came forward to question the heir to the throne on why he's chosen to remain silent on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Netflix series, but chose to post about the World Cup instead.
The six-episode docuseries revealed several explosive accusations against the Royal Family, including that the then-Prince Charles' office had allegedly leaked details of 38-year-old Harry and 41-year-old Meghan's plans to relocate to South Africa and then to Canada. The father-of-two had even claimed that his older brother had screamed at him about their exit from royal life during a meeting with their father and the late Queen Elizabeth II.
So far, the palace has also declined to comment on the allegations, as well as further claims from Harry that William's office leaked negative stories about him and Meghan to the press. According to The Mirror, the Royal Family is choosing to "maintain a dignified silence" to avoid a public row with the California-based couple.
This continued silence, however, has frustrated netizens. One person simply commented: "Seriously? This is your response?"
"Your failure to condemn signals you are ok with the hate and vitriol against your own brother and [sister-in-law]…..shame on you," someone else added, referencing the hateful article written about Meghan by Jeremy Clarkson for The Sun.
A third user chimed in, also referencing The Sun column: "Clarkson's column should be officially condemned. I have no plans to read Spare or watch Netflix, but I condemn the hate in Clarkson's column. Please consider doing so, too."
"So William was quick to defend the family after the Oprah interview by saying they weren't racist. So he can speak. But he has never defended Meghan by denouncing the racism that was in the media. And is silent on the violence now printed. I see," another person tweeted.
So far, Buckingham Palace has not commented on the accusations - though it is expected that a statement may come out following the release of Prince Harry's upcoming memoir Spare, which is set to hit bookstores on January 10.
Published 10:46 19 Dec 2022 GMT
Argentinian goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez left audiences shocked after his celebration on stage after the FIFA World Cup 2022 final consisted of a pretty risqué gesture...
Now, when I tell you Sunday night's World Cup final was wild, I'm not kidding.
Argentina and France gave us a match that people will be talking about for years to come.
While everything seemed to be going in Argentina's favor for a massive chunk of the game, Kylian Mbappe, hailed as the star player of France's national team, pulled his squad out of their rut with two consecutive goals in the 80th and 81st minute, sending both teams into extra time.
However, after a nail-biting 30 minutes, followed by an overwhelming defeat on penalties, the French were forced to hand over the victory to Argentina who now have an impressive three World Cup wins under their belt.
Of course, then came the celebrations.
You would think that seeing the players shedding tears of joy with their teammates following such a competitive tournament would be the overall highlight, right? Well, there was a moment that topped that and it seems as though it's become a hot talking point online.
During the post-match ceremony, we saw Argentinian goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez receive the coveted Golden Glove award for his efforts - and well-deserved, may I add.
However, within seconds of holding the award, he placed it over his groin area, making it seem like the accolade was a huge, golden schlong in front of thousands of spectators at Doha's Lusail Stadium, as well as millions of viewers watching at home.
Though the gesture was extremely crude, it seems as though Qatari officials took it pretty well, with just the odd side-eye here and there.
Besides that, Martinez was praised as a hero for his country, especially during the penalties.
Not only did he manage to save Kingsley Coman's shot, he also dabbled in a few mind games with Aurélien Tchouaméni which proved to unsettle the French player, ultimately making him fire his shot a little too wide.
The Ashton Villa goalkeeper received his Golden Glove award alongside Lionel Messi, who won the best player, Enzo Fernandez who won the best young player and Kylian Mbappe who won the Golden Boot.
Published 17:07 19 Dec 2022 GMT
After a night of sheer bliss for Argentina and their fans across the globe, it seems some netizens couldn't help but complain about something. This time, Salt Bae was the target.
For those who missed it, Argentina beat France in a tense 120-minute game that ended in a score of 3 - 3, before the two teams battled it out in penalty shootouts that saw La Albiceleste (as they are affectionately known) take home the coveted World Cup trophy in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar after a 4-2 victory.
The award itself is made from 18-carat gold and is worth a staggering $20 million, according to FIFA. Naturally, only a select group of people are permitted to touch the trophy - including winners of the World Cup and heads of state, per FIFA's website.
So, it comes as no surprise that Turkish chef Nusret Gökçe - better known as Salt Bae - received mixed reactions when he took to Instagram to post several short clips and images of himself holding the golden trophy and biting players' gold medals to his 49.8 million followers.
One of the clips - which saw the chef standing next to Argentinian player Di Maria and saying his catchphrase "Wow" - received close to 15,000 comments from users, and many of them were not happy. "He can't touch on the cup. Only world champions can do that. No respect," one person wrote.
"You can tell Di Maria wants nothing to do with this picture, embarrassing that he's used this moment to use his c**p catchphrase," another person added.
Another user chimed in with: "The disrespect, this guy is just full of himself."
'This guy will never deserve to touch the world cup..just touch salt you shameless [sic]," another comment read.
"This salt guy is becoming unbelievably annoying and obnoxious," a further user added.
Other Instagram users drew attention to a separate viral video that showed the chef desperately trying to get Messi's attention, with one person writing underneath a photo of the pair: "Bruh keep the distance, he was celebrating w his peeps not some random from tiktok [sic]."
Was Salt Bae wrong to touch the World Cup? Let us know in the comments below.
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