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Argentina wear 1986 World Cup kit replica against England
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37'
Yellow card Elliot ANDERSON (England) is booked by
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42'
Yellow card Lisandro MARTINEZ (Argentina) is booked by
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Yellow card Cristian ROMERO (Argentina) is booked by
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55'
Goal Anthony GORDON (England) scores!!
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85'
Goal Enzo FERNANDEZ (Argentina) scores!!
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90'+2'
Goal Lautaro MARTINEZ (Argentina) scores!!
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Yellow card Rodrigo DE PAUL (Argentina) is booked
England squad
- Selected
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1 Jordan PICKFORD Goalkeeper
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4 Declan RICE Midfielder
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5 John STONES Defender
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6 Marc GUEHI Defender
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8 Elliot ANDERSON Midfielder
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9 Harry KANE C Forward
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10 Jude BELLINGHAM Midfielder
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17 Morgan ROGERS Midfielder
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18 Anthony GORDON Forward
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24 Reece JAMES Defender
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25 Djed SPENCE Defender
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2 Ezri KONSA Defender
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3 Nico OREILLY Defender
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7 Bukayo SAKA Forward
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11 Marcus RASHFORD Forward
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12 Trevoh CHALOBAH Defender
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13 Dean Henderson Goalkeeper
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14 Jordan HENDERSON Midfielder
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15 Dan BURN Defender
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16 Kobbie MAINOO Midfielder
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19 Ollie WATKINS Forward
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20 Noni MADUEKE Forward
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21 Eberechi EZE Midfielder
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22 Ivan TONEY Forward
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23 James TRAFFORD Goalkeeper
- Full squad
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26 Jarell QUANSAH Defender
Argentina squad
- Selected
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3 Nicolas TAGLIAFICO Defender
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5 Leandro PAREDES Midfielder
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6 Lisandro MARTINEZ Defender
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9 Julian ALVAREZ Forward
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10 Lionel MESSI C Forward
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13 Cristian ROMERO Defender
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17 Giuliano SIMEONE Forward
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20 Alexis MAC ALLISTER Midfielder
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23 Emiliano MARTINEZ Goalkeeper
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24 Enzo FERNANDEZ Midfielder
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26 Nahuel MOLINA Defender
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1 Juan MUSSO Goalkeeper
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2 Marcos SENESI Defender
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4 Gonzalo MONTIEL Defender
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7 Rodrigo DE PAUL Midfielder
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8 Valentin BARCO Midfielder
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11 Giovani Lo Celso Midfielder
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12 Geronimo RULLI Goalkeeper
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14 Exequiel PALACIOS Midfielder
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15 Nico GONZALEZ Midfielder
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16 Thiago ALMADA Forward
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18 Nico PAZ Forward
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19 Nicolas OTAMENDI Defender
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21 Jose Manuel LOPEZ Forward
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22 Lautaro MARTINEZ Forward
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25 Facundo MEDINA Defender
Argentina's rugby union team, the Pumas, wore replica shirts of the national football team's 1986 World Cup kit for their Nations Championship match against England, evoking the famous game in which Diego Maradona scored his "Hand of God" goal. The gesture came just a week after Argentina's footballers beat England 2-1 in a World Cup quarter-final to reach the 2026 final, a result that has heightened the sporting rivalry between the two countries, alongside a separate controversy over a Falklands-related banner displayed by Argentine players after that match.
The football team wore the dark blue kit during their 2-1 win over England in the 1986 tournament, which they went on to win, while the Pumas normally play in Argentina's traditional white and light blue stripes. Argentina posted on X that the kit revived "memories that span generations." The rugby fixture is being played at the Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades in Santiago del Estero, with Steve Borthwick's England side chasing a sixth consecutive win over Argentina, having beaten Fiji 73-8 last weekend after Argentina defeated Wales 35-21.
In short
- Argentina's rugby team wore a replica of the 1986 football World Cup kit
- Move follows Argentina football's 2-1 World Cup win over England
- England seek sixth straight rugby win over Argentina in Nations Championship
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Argentina's rugby team simply honoured their nation's greatest sporting achievement with a meaningful cultural tribute. Wearing historical kits is a standard, celebratory practice in sport, and the 1986 World Cup victory remains a defining moment for Argentine identity. The gesture brought together fans across football and rugby, celebrating shared heritage during an important international match. Such tributes are a normal part of sporting tradition.
The case against
Whilst commemorating heritage is legitimate, the timing and context matter significantly in international sport. Having just defeated England in a football World Cup quarter-final, and amid unresolved tensions over Falklands-related displays, wearing a kit that explicitly evokes another famous victory over that opponent risks appearing deliberately provocative rather than merely commemorative. International sport functions better when teams manage rivalry with grace; deliberately invoking historical moments of an opponent's defeat, particularly when tensions are heightened, tests the boundaries of sporting respect and could escalate tensions unnecessarily.
Explained simply
The 1986 World Cup is a significant moment in Argentine football history, remembered for Diego Maradona and a controversial goal he scored with his hand, subsequently called the "Hand of God." The dark blue kit worn by Argentina's football team in that tournament remains iconic in Argentine sporting culture.
Argentina's football team recently defeated England 2-1 in the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals, advancing to the final and intensifying the sporting rivalry between the two countries. This has heightened tensions between them as they now face each other across different sports.
Argentina's rugby union team, the Pumas, are wearing a replica of that famous 1986 kit for their Nations Championship match against England. The choice invokes that historic tournament during a period of heightened sporting rivalry between the two nations.