Beyond football: Why Spain vs Argentina is also a clash of politics

A fan waves an Argentine flag on the obelisk as Argentina face Austria in a World Cup soccer match in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo) Amid the rubble of Gaza and outside the spectacle of a FIFA event in North America, a mock World Cup match was played on Thursday between soccer players who survived the ongoing “genocide” in Palestine.It was a surreal sight that looked straight out of a Polanski war film.Surrounded by a city in ruins, the green pitch not only witnessed the first football match to be broadcast live in Gaza since the Israeli-led offensive began in October 2023, the sixth game also had an interesting political context.While one team wore Palestinian national colours, the other wore Spanish jerseys – apparently in recognition of Spain’s support and recognition of the state of Palestine. It also brought to the fore the support La Rojas will receive from the strife-torn region when they face Argentina in the World Cup final on Monday.The Spanish flags flying alongside the Palestinian ones also testified that despite all the mandates from FIFA to keep the World Cup free of politics, the reality was a far cry from the rules written behind the closed doors of its Zurich headquarters.It also doesn’t help the Gianni Infantino-led world body that the protagonists at MetLife Stadium on Monday will represent two countries at opposite ends of the political spectrum.While Spain’s Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has been the loudest voice for Palestine, inclusivity and left-wing ideology in Europe, the political ideology of his Argentine counterpart can be summed up as one of the strongest supporters of US President Donald Trump.Prime Minister Javier Milei was famous for saying that “the only left that works is Messi’s left foot”.He is an anarcho-capitalist, minarchist, and libertarian conservative who holds conservative social values, is a supporter of Israel, and has Benjamin Netanyahu as another famous friend.That his ideology may have carried over to the World Cup venues is evident from the racist slurs some Argentine fans have documented at an American influencer of color, as well as the throwing of beer at Egyptian fans during Argentina’s round of 16.There was an incident where some players from the 2022 World Cup winning team sang a racist song on the team bus after the victory in Qatar.It is a satire of history itself that a country once colonized by the Spanish Empire – which stripped the country of its own people – now has a right-wing Milea government at the helm, while its colonizers stand on the left advocating diversity and socialism. And that the Latin American finalists are the only all-white team among the 48 nations at the World Cup, while in Spain, players of immigrant origin such as Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams will work in tandem with ethnic Spaniards such as Pedri and Ferran Torres to bring the trophy home.It’s also worth noting that the man who replaced Che-tattooed sportsman Maradona as soccer’s greatest player remains apolitical and sees nothing in Trump. So Lionel Messi also stands in stark contrast to his striking counterpart at the opposite end, 19-year-old Yamal, who waved the Palestinian flag during Barcelona’s victory parade.And that’s the reality the world will be staring at when the summit clash in New Jersey begins.However, the 2026 edition, set against the backdrop of the US-Israeli war with Iran, is already mired in politics.While the Iranian team had to move their base to Mexico due to US sanctions and were forced to rush to and from the States for their matches, African referee of the year, Somalia’s Omar Artan, fell victim to another of the host’s sanctions, which prevented him from entering his territory to officiate at the World Cup.So when La Rojas take the pitch against the Albiceleste, the political undertones will remain in the background.And while a Spanish win is bound to see La Rojigualda fluttering in the distant skies of Gaza, an Argentine victory will not only be another gift for Messi fans, but will likely also make the biggest icons of the right wing – Miley, Trump and Netanyahu, who has also expressed his support for Argentina – rejoice in unison.