FIFA has launched an investigation into Argentinian players who displayed a political banner during their dramatic comeback victory over England in the 2026 World Cup semifinal on Wednesday, July 16th. Defender Lisandro Martinez and unused substitute Giovani Lo Celso held up a banner stating "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" ("The Falklands are Argentinian") as they celebrated on the pitch, a move that breached FIFA's stadium code of conduct and touched on sensitive political sovereignty issues involving the United Kingdom.

A FIFA spokesperson told Al Jazeera on Thursday, July 16th, that "FIFA’s independent disciplinary committee is currently assessing the match reports and considering the relevant circumstances before deciding on potential further steps based on the FIFA disciplinary code."

When questioned about the banner's potential emotional impact on veterans of the Falklands conflict, Martinez said, "We couldn’t let the Argentine people down." Notably, Martinez has played club football in England for the past four years with Manchester United.

FIFA has previously taken disciplinary actions for similar incidents: a South Korean player was banned for two 2014 World Cup qualifying games after holding up a territorial claim banner at the 2012 London Olympics, and the Serbia federation was fined 20,000 Swiss francs during the 2022 World Cup for displaying a political banner about Kosovo.

Argentina now advances to face Spain in the final scheduled for Sunday, July 20th.

Sources