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Argentine President Javier Milei said Thursday that he will not attend the World Cup final due to superstition, preferring instead to watch Sunday’s match between Spain and Argentina from his home, where he has watched the defending champion’s seven previous games, all victories, in the tournament.
In a bid to help his nation’s beloved soccer team secure its second consecutive title, Milei added, he will also wear the same thick jacket.
Fans and players around the world cling to superstitions that they believe can bring good luck to their team or misfortune to their opponents. But in Latin America, and particularly in Argentina, the so-called “cabalas,” or ritual beliefs and habits, carry unusual weight, reflecting the intensity with which many here view their national team.
Asked on Thursday whether he would travel to New Jersey to watch Sunday’s match alongside his close ally, US President Donald Trump, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, as expected, Milei responded: “No way.”
“I’m going to continue watching all the games from Olivos,” he told local Buenos Aires radio station El Observador, referring to his presidential residence.
The journalist asked him if he stays home for superstitious reasons. Milei said yes and continued explaining another of his rituals: “Since it’s cold and I don’t turn on the heating, I wear a jacket with the oil company’s brand. The day of the game against Switzerland it made me very hot. I took it off and they scored a goal for us. I put it on again and I never took it off again.”
Like Milei, most Argentines have assumptions that require following exactly the same routine if the team is winning. Some wear the same clothes during all the games and refuse to wash their shirts during the World Cup. Some watch each match in the same place, or are not allowed to watch at all, as may be the case for those who are in the bathroom when Argentina scores.
Stories related to Argentina
The smallest actions take on extraordinary meaning. In a widely shared video from this World Cup, a group of fans began reading the Bible just as Argentina began scoring against Egypt, forcing them to repeat the ritual in every match since. A common ritual to impact the rival team consists of freezing figures of players or pieces of paper with the names of the opponents.
Argentine presidents have long been cautious about attending high-risk World Cup matches to avoid bringing bad luck to their teams. The superstition dates back to the 1990 tournament, when then-president Carlos Menem visited the Argentine team just before it suffered a surprising opening defeat to Cameroon.
They called Menem a “mufa”, a jinx. Since then, no sitting Argentine president is known to have attended a national team match. There is no such superstition on Spain’s part, however: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez plans to attend Sunday’s World Cup final against Argentina, his office said Friday, and Spanish King Felipe VI is also expected to watch the game in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
