Rumbunctious pro-Argentina crowd makes defending World Cup champions feel at home in Atlanta

ATLANTA (AP) — Argentina fans are well known for their rabid, boisterous support of their national soccer squad, and that fevered passion made their beloved team feel right at home in Atlanta at the World Cup.

This wasn't Buenos Aires, but the rumbunctious pro-Argentina crowd made their voices heard: Serenading the team with songs, chants and screaming at the top of their lungs throughout Wednesday's semifinal match.

And when Enzo Fernandez scored the equalizing goal for Argentina off an assist from Lionel Messi in the 85th minute, water splashed from the top floor to the bottom at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Cups and water bottles followed. Shirts were removed and swung in the air. Long after Lautaro Martinez scored the winning goal in the 2-1 victory over England, Argentina fans cheered as if it had transpired only seconds earlier.

Messi, Fernandez and others paraded around the field with their shirts off, soaking in the atmosphere as fans cheered the players on — none of them wanting the moment to end.

“No words, no words. A joy for our country, for our people," Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said. "We are unique, truly, and it’s not arrogance, it’s from the heart. We are unique. These people today carried us to win the match, so I’m grateful.”

It wasn't until security began to weave through the stands, blowing whistles to direct foot traffic, that the sea of Argentine fans began to make its way toward the exits.

Gaston Reinoso, an Argentine who lives in Houston and traveled to Atlanta for the match, said the devotion of the fan base can't be easily described.

“It’s really hard to explain the passion that these fans have," Reinoso said. "When you are Argentinian, you feel soccer like religion. This may be everything for you. You can see an event like this, it’s a moment when people forget about religion, politics, everything. Everyone is united. This is Argentina, there’s nothing like it.”

Some Argentina fans haven't always been on their best behavior at previous World Cup tournaments, but Atlanta has been good to them this year — even if Messi and Co. have had to rally to win games.

Reinoso said getting off to fast starts hasn't been Argentina's strength, but the fan base hasn't waivered.

Argentina was back at the site of one of the World Cup's greatest comebacks — its 3-2 victory over Egypt on July 7. And when they pulled off another improbable victory on Wednesday with a pair of late goals, the water started flying.

“It was like a spray from God, from the sky," Reinoso said. “I started crying."

Next stop for the Argentine road show will be Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey, for the World Cup final against Spain. And it's a safe bet there will be more than a few blue-and-white jerseys in the stand.

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Fans react during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Ben Gray)

Argentina's Lionel Messi (10) reacts as he leaves the ground after their win in the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates with his teammates at the end of the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Argentina fans cheer on the stands during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Fans of Argentina celebrate after they defeated England in their World Cup semifinal soccer match in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

President Donald Trump has endorsed MyPillow founder Mike Lindell for Minnesota governor, praising him as “one of America’s greatest and most hard working Patriots” and giving formal backing to a fellow election denier a day before the Republican president delivers a national address he says will focus on election security.

Lindell established his national profile from his TV advertising campaign as the MyPillow Guy and has been one of Trump’s most outspoken supporters, echoing the president’s false claims that his 2020 election defeat to Democrat Joe Biden was fraudulent.

“Mike will be SPECTACULAR!!! He truly loves Minnesota, as do I, and wants to bring it back from oblivion and embarrassment. He can do it!” Trump posted Wednesday on his Truth Social platform, referring to Lindell as “the ‘Pillow Man.’”

Lindell, who faces a crowded Republican field in an Aug. 11 primary, featured the endorsement on social media and thanked the president. “I truly appreciate your confidence in me,” he wrote, adding, “Let's Make Minnesota Great Again!”

Trump has hammered outgoing Gov. Tim Walz, Democrats’ 2024 vice presidential nominee, as incompetent and accused his administration of allowing rampant fraud in federal spending on childcare. Trump has employed racist rhetoric to target Minnesota’s Somali immigrant population as driving the alleged fraud.

Walz, who ended his bid for a third term earlier this year, disputes the Trump administration’s characterizations. There are ongoing investigations into the state's administration of federally supported childcare programs in the state.

Lindell's primary opponents include state House Speaker Lisa Demuth and businessman Kendall Qualls, who has the endorsement of the Minnesota state GOP. Lindell has attacked Demuth as responsible for federal spending fraud. Demuth has blamed the Democratic administration and executive agency leaders that oversee federal grants to childcare providers.

Later Wednesday, Demuth posted on social media a clip of a caller to a Minnesota politics talk radio show who was both supportive of Trump as president but said: “We've got to worry about the state of Minnesota. ... And I think of all the candidates, Lisa's got the most knowledge of what's going on and how to get things done.”

Qualls addressed supporters in a social media video. “President Trump is exactly what our country needed over the last decade and I’m proud to have supported him since day one," he said. “I’ll continue to support him and his America First policies when I am governor.”

Lindell and Trump “have been friends for years,” Qualls added. “This race won't be won by national endorsements. It will be decided by Minnesota conservatives.”

Longtime U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar headlines the Democratic field.

There are 36 gubernatorial elections this November. There currently are 26 Republican governors and 24 Democratic governors, and Republicans view Minnesota as an opportunity to flip a seat despite a challenging national environment because of Trump’s lagging popularity and voters’ discontent over the economy.

Klobuchar, in her initial campaign announcement, focused on the Trump administration's immigration crackdown that involved federal officers killing two Minnesotans, the assassination of a state legislative leader and a school shooting that killed multiple children — all within the past year.

The senator has since proposed plans intended to address any fraud and inefficiencies in public spending and emphasized an earlier chapter of her career as a prosecutor.

“On Day 1, I will begin a top to bottom audit of our state government,” she said this spring. “That audit will look at state agencies to identify waste, fraud, and abuse.”

She also has sought to distance herself from Walz. “I don’t like the status quo. I wouldn’t be running for governor if I wanted to have things remain the same. I want to see change,” she said.

As Trump has made endorsements in Republican primaries this year, the president has remained fixated on his lies about the 2020 election. In Georgia, recently, he made a late endorsement in a hotly contested U.S. Senate primary for Rep. Mike Collins, noting the congressman's stalwart support and referencing passing comments made by his opponent, former football coach Derek Dooley, affirming that Biden was legitimately elected in 2020.

Trump has had a mixed record in gubernatorial primaries.

In Georgia, Trump's pick, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, could not overcome billionaire healthcare tycoon Rick Jackson, who spent more than $100 million, mostly from his own fortune, to win the Republican nomination. In Iowa, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra failed in his bid for the GOP nomination, losing to businessman Zach Lahn.

After those losses and ahead of the South Carolina primary runoff, Trump announced that he was endorsing both Republican candidates, state Attorney General Alan Wilson and Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, after initially having given Evette his backing. Wilson ultimately prevailed.

FILE - MyPillow founder Mike Lindell arrives before former President Donald Trump speaks at his Mar-a-Lago estate, April 4, 2023, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - Mike Lindell gives a thumbs up as he passes by a rally for supporters of former President Donald Trump, April 4, 2023, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)