Argentina’s rugby union players wore replicas of the football team’s 1986 World Cup kit for their match against England at the Nations Championship.
The footballers wore the dark blue kit during their 2-1 quarter-final victory over England at the tournament – which they later won – in a match made famous by Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ goal, before he scored a brilliant second.
Argentina’s rugby side, known as the Pumas, usually wear the country’s traditional white and light blue striped sporting kit.
“Memories that span generations and remain alive in the collective memory. Today that legacy dresses up again,” the Argentina team posted on X.
The sporting rivalry between the two countries was fuelled last week as Argentina came from behind in dramatic fashion to beat the Three Lions 2-1 and reach the 2026 World Cup final.
Following the match, Argentina players held up a banner reading ‘Las Malvinas son Argentinas’, which translates as ‘The Falklands are Argentine’.
Fifa is deciding whether to punish Argentina for the banner that references the Falkland Islands – a British overseas territory in the south west Atlantic Ocean that remains the subject of a sovereignty dispute between the UK and Argentina.
Before the Nations Championship match against Argentina, England switched hotels in Buenos Aires to avoid their return home being wrecked by World Cup celebrations should Argentina’s football team beat Spain in Sunday’s final.
The Nations Championship match is taking place at the Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades in Santiago del Estero, with Steve Borthwick’s side aiming for their sixth successive win over Argentina.
Last weekend, England thrashed Fiji 73-8 to end a five-match losing run while Argentina beat Wales 35-21 last weekend after losing 47-38 to Scotland in their Nations opener.
