World Cup 2026: Israel loves Argentina but do Argentinians actually love them back? Submitted by MEE staff on Mon, 07/20/2026 - 12:32 President Javier Milei has tied his country closely to Israel, but polling shows most people in the country reject the relationship Argentina's President Javier Milei (centre) visits the Western Wall in the old city of Jerusalem, 19 April 2026 (Ilia Yefimovich/AFP) Off Hours before Argentina faced Spain in the World Cup final, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a message to President Javier Milei. "Javier [Milei], you are a real friend, a great friend.
We support you, we support Argentina, in so many ways." Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 soon afterwards, but the match had already taken on a political meaning far beyond its footballing context. Across social media, many framed Argentina as Israel’s team and Spain as Palestine’s. The symbolism was not difficult to understand.
Milei has made support for Israel a defining feature of Argentina’s foreign policy. He has backed Netanyahu throughout the Gaza genocide, spoken publicly about converting to Judaism and pledged to move Argentina’s embassy to Jerusalem. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Spain has moved in the opposite direction.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has condemned Israel’s genocide in Gaza, called for those responsible to face arrest and recognised the State of Palestine in 2024. Even the teams’ biggest stars became part of the contrast. Lionel Messi has drawn scrutiny over his previous links with Israel, while Spain’s Lamine Yamal displayed a Palestinian flag after Barcelona won the league title.
‘Every patriotic Israeli supports Argentina’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is subject to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during Israel’s assault on Gaza, was not the only Israeli politician to support Argentina. Israeli ministers throughout his cabinet have also eagerly sought to push that comparison. Argentina’s ambassador to Israel, Rabbi Shimon Axel Wahnish, visited far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich before the final and presented him with an Argentina shirt and an official World Cup ball.
View on Instagram The ICC prosecutor has also reportedly requested an arrest warrant for Smotrich over war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against Pales… US President Donald Trump lingers on stage as Spain lift the 2026 World Cup trophy after beating Argentina 1-0 at the 2026 World Cup final.
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