Behind the Scenes: The untold story of the Falklands flag and Argentina’s World Cup squad

A never-before-seen video shows the exact moment the players receive the flag

A video circulated in recent hours by an Argentine fan shows the moment when the flag bearing the inscription "The Malvinas are Argentine" was thrown from the stands onto the field and ended up in the hands of players from the Argentina National Team after the 2-1 victory over England in the semifinals of the 2026 World Cup.

The images, shared on social media by an Argentine fan who claimed to have discovered the recording while reviewing the material captured during the tournament, show the moment when the flag falls onto the grass during the celebrations following the match played on July 15.

As seen in the video, midfielder Giovani Lo Celso picked up the flag and, after reading the message, held it up toward the stands together with defenders Lisandro Martínez and Cristian Romero, before leaving it unfurled on the pitch.

The sequence provides context about the origin of the flag, whose appearance during the celebration generated numerous conjectures on social media and led to the widespread circulation of the images.

The episode also led to political and sporting repercussions. Argentine Foreign Secretary Pablo Quirno stated this week that the flag displayed by the footballers "speaks a truth" regarding Argentina's claim of sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands.

We have nothing to apologize for. The flag tells the truth.

We have nothing to apologize for. The flag tells the truth. There is no diplomatic crisis with the United Kingdom. We have a fundamental difference regarding the sovereignty of the Malvinas Islands," Quirno said, who also maintained that the players' action was "completely spontaneous" because the flag was thrown from the stands and then unfurled by the footballers.

The chancellor's statements came after FIFA's Disciplinary Committee announced the opening of proceedings against the Argentine Football Association (AFA), among other reasons due to the possible violation of the rules that prohibit using a sporting event to make statements unrelated to the sporting sphere.