Before England and Argentina’s 2026 Fifa World Cup semi-final, both national anthems were largely drowned out by loud crowd noise at Atlanta Stadium. The moment stood out because national anthems are a prominent part of major international fixtures, and the disruption highlighted the intensity and charged atmosphere surrounding a high-profile match between two leading football nations.

The BBC Sport clip shows that the noise affected both teams’ anthems rather than one side alone, and that it happened immediately before kick-off. The item is presented as a short video report linked to live coverage of the semi-final, with access restricted to UK users. While no cause beyond the crowd noise is given, the incident underlined how difficult it was to hear the formal pre-match ceremony in the stadium.