Netanyahu cheers on Argentina ahead of World Cup final

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced support for Argentina ahead of Sunday’s FIFA World Cup final, sending a personal message to President Javier Milei in a meeting with Buenos Aires’s ambassador to Israel, Rabbi Shimon Axel Wahnish.

Argentina, led by its legendary captain Lionel Messi, faces Spain in the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

During the meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem on Saturday night, Wahnish played an audio message in Spanish from Milei, who thanked Netanyahu for his support.

“You are my friend, always supporting us,” Milei said. “I was happy to hear that you are rooting for Argentina because of me.”

Netanyahu responded by praising the Argentine leader, one of Israel’s closest allies on the international stage.

“Javier, you are a friend. A true friend,” Netanyahu said. “We support you. We support Argentina in so many ways, including tomorrow. Good luck!”

Wahnish presented Netanyahu with Argentina’s blue-and-white shirt and soccer ball, and the two men kicked the ball to each other in the Prime Minister’s Office.

Argentina has won the FIFA World Cup three times—in 1978, 1986 and 2022—while Spain has won it once, in 2010.

“I don’t hide that I am a fan of Argentina,” Netanyahu said in a video posted by his office. “I think most Israeli citizens support Argentina. That is because President Milei has revolutionized Argentina’s relationship with Israel, and we have no greater nor better friends. Which is why we support them.”

Netanyahu concluded by saying, “¡Vamos, Argentina!” (“Let’s go, Argentina!”)

In a separate video posted on Sunday by journalist Amit Segal, titled “Israel chooses a side,” Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich voiced his support for Argentina ahead of the World Cup final in a meeting with its ambassador.

“Every Israeli patriot is a fan of Argentina,” Smotrich said in Hebrew.

With their arms draped around each other’s shoulders, the two men smiled while Wahnish exclaimed, “¡Vamos, Argentina!”

Smotrich also posted a photograph with Argentina’s ambassador, under the title, “¡Vamos, Argentina!”

Israel and Argentina have strengthened ties since Milei took office in December 2023. The Argentine president has repeatedly expressed strong support for Israel following the Hamas massacre on Oct. 7, 2023, visited Jerusalem several times and pledged to move his country’s embassy to the Israeli capital.

In recognition of his unequivocal support for Israel, Milei received the 2025 Genesis Prize in Jerusalem on June 11, 2025, in a ceremony at the Knesset.

Ahead of the July 20 final, the match has taken on political overtones in some quarters, with Argentina’s pro-Israel stance under Milei contrasting with Spain’s pro-Palestinian posture. Online, anti-Israel activists have targeted Messi with antisemitic conspiracy theories falsely portraying him as an Israel supporter controlled by Jews.