Argentina have reportedly made a special request to FIFA ahead of their 2026 World Cup semi-final clash against England on Wednesday.
The reigning world champions secured their place in the semi-finals courtesy of a 3-1 victory over Switzerland at the Kansas City Stadium. Lionel Scaloni’s side took an early lead when Alexis Mac Allister headed home Lionel Messi’s corner in the 10th minute.
However, Switzerland began to dominate the match in the second half and Dan Ndoye’s 67th-minute equaliser was no less than the European nation deserved.
The game’s turning point occurred five minutes later when Switzerland forward Breel Embolo was shown a second yellow card, following a mistaken identity VAR review, for a cynical dive.
Argentina went on to win the quarter-final 3-1, with Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez both scoring in the second half of extra-time.
England and Argentina: Old Rivals
The South Americans now prepare to take on their old rivals England at the Atlanta Stadium on Wednesday night.
The two nations haven’t faced each other since the 2002 World Cup group stages, when England secured a 1-0 win thanks to a David Beckham penalty. Four years earlier, Beckham was famously sent off for kicking Diego Simeone as Argentina advanced to the quarter-finals.
But the most famous clash between the two countries happened at the 1986 World Cup finals in Mexico. Legendary forward Diego Maradona netted the most infamous goal in football history – his ‘Hand of God’ goal where he punched the ball into the net after out-jumping Peter Shilton – before scoring the ‘Goal of the Century’ four minutes later.
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Argentina’s Request to FIFA
Ahead of Wednesday’s semi-final, Argentina have made a special request to FIFA in the hope that it may work in their favour.
Journalist Gaston Edul, per The Mirror, claims that Argentina have asked world football’s governing body if they can wear their all-blue kit as opposed to their iconic blue and white strip.
La Albiceleste have worn their traditional blue and white striped kit in all but one of their six 2026 World Cup matches. The exception was their 3-1 win over Jordan in the group stages.
Argentina wore navy blue during their two most famous wins over England at the 1986 and 1998 World Cup finals.
It seems the South American nation believe wearing navy blue once again could prove to be a lucky omen.
On this occasion, Argentina will be led by talismanic captain Messi, who has never faced England during his long career so far.
“Playing against England is special because they are a powerhouse, and matches against powerhouses are always special,” the 39-year-old, who is a contender for the 2026 Ballon d’Or award, told ESPN Argentina.
“It’s the first time I’m going to play against them. I’ve played against everyone except England, so it will be nice for that reason too.
“We’ll experience it for what it is: a World Cup semi-final against a great team, and we’ll try to arrive in the best possible shape to compete again.”
