BTS Faces Backlash for Association with Argentina Football Team Amid Controversy
BTS has found itself at the center of controversy ahead of the final match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where Argentina will face Spain.
The match, set for July 19, will feature several performers, including BTS, who are currently on their Arirang tour.
However, BTS was drawn into a debate before their performance started.
Argentina’s National Football Team’s account tweeted a photo featuring team members with an altered logo, mimicking BTS’s Arirang cover image.
The image quickly gained traction, but reactions were mixed.
Some negative feedback stemmed from sports rivalry, while others pointed out issues related to racism among the team’s fans during matches and a deeper history of racism and Antisemitism in Argentina.
Conversely, many believed the promotion should simply be accepted as a fun representation, regardless of soccer rivalries.
BTS will be one of several acts performing during the halftime show, which lasts 11 minutes.
BTS
BTS HAVE ALREADY ARRIVED AT METLIFE STADIUM FOR THE 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP FINAL FOR REHERSAL!⚽️????️
I CAN HEAR”DYNAMITE”PLAYING IN THE BACKGROUND…IS “DYNAMITE”GOING TO BE THE SONG THEY PERFORM, OR ARE WE GETTING”PTD”?
BTS AT WORLD CUP 2026⚽️#BTSxWORLDCUP2026#BTSHALFTIMESHOW pic.twitter.com/xrrG0Ig725
— ♡⃝ ·͙ꫂ ၴႅၴAisha⁷⊙⊝⊜ (@kimjeonayesha) July 19, 2026
???????????????? ???????? ????????????????????????????????????????????????????,
???????????????? ???????? ????????????????????????????????????????????????????.⏳???????????? pic.twitter.com/rFpGt18CbC
— Selección Argentina in English (@AFASeleccionEN) July 18, 2026
take this shit down, dont ever disrespect bts like this AGAIN, esp comparing namjoon to messinyahu, youre going to hell for this wallahi https://t.co/hCYuFLC5gV
— #1 boniver & sope misser (@fyasope) July 18, 2026
don’t even compare BTS to these racist anti black team ever again you stupid a$$ b**** if anything Argentina and Messi are quite the representation of the big3 using their influence with FIFA to buy referees and rig the tournament the whole world despises u for a reason https://t.co/6C0C7PgUKa
— mary (@maryon4croxx) July 19, 2026
@amlysbang no sensible army will be happy seeing bts being associated with a national football team that receives privileges from fifa and fuels racism of their fans. so don’t expect us to respect argentina, especially when you’re not on the latin american side!!! https://t.co/NISE2SgSzG
— alyy⁷ (@ywhh07) July 19, 2026
I genuinely think one of the biggest things holding BTS back isn’t a lack of opportunities but how some fans react to those opportunities.
Everyone says they want “general public recognition.” But the moment a football federation, an athlete, an influencer, or a random creator… pic.twitter.com/BTuDEKrPQU
— ♡ (@amlysbang) July 19, 2026
the way some of you are behaving like It’s end of the world when this is a great exposure for bts to football fans… y’all are not thinking right, that’s not how we behave for the sake of bts, games are silly but gp gonna pick up what we feed to them ???? https://t.co/Z8w3VbdaJ5
— Lizz????????⊙⊝⊜ taegi enthusiasts ᯓᡣ???? (@polarnight613) July 19, 2026
“Oh no, a racist country” ???????? Meanwhile BTS are from South Korea. Why do you act like BTS and South Korea have never had racism-related controversies? You’re just following the trend of hating Argentina. You don’t actually care about racism. https://t.co/l1hQF9hxwi
— YNAA ᥫ᭡???????????????? (@mzrrr_mk) July 19, 2026