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Argentina president Javier Milei said Thursday he will not attend the World Cup final because of superstition, opting instead to watch Sunday’s match between Spain and Argentina from home – where he has watched the defending champions’ previous seven games, all wins, at the tournament.
In a bid to help his nation’s beloved soccer team secure its second consecutive title, Milei added that he will also wear the same heavy jacket.
Fans and players around the world hold on to superstitions that they believe can bring good luck to their team – or bad luck to their opponents. But in Latin America, and especially in Argentina, so-called “cábalas,” or ritualistic beliefs and habits, carry unusual weight, reflecting the intensity with which many here watch their national team.
Asked on Thursday if he would travel to New Jersey for Sunday’s game to watch with his close ally US President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, as widely expected, Milei replied: “No way.”
“I will continue to watch all the matches from Olivos,” he told a local Buenos Aires radio station, El Observador, referring to his presidential residence.
The journalist asked if he stays at home for superstitious reasons. Milei agreed and went on to explain another of his rituals: “When it’s cold and I don’t turn on the heat, I wear a jacket branded by the oil company. The day of the Switzerland game, it made me really warm. I took it off and they scored a goal against us. I put it back on and never took it off again.”
Like Milei, most Argentines have cabals that require them to stick to the exact same routine if the team wins. Some wear the same clothes during every match and refuse to wash their shirts throughout the World Cup. Some watch every match in the same place – or are not allowed to watch at all, as may be the case with those who happen to be in the bathroom when Argentina scores.
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The smallest actions take on an extraordinary meaning. In a widely shared video from this World Cup, a group of fans began reading from the Bible just as Argentina started to score against Egypt, forcing them to repeat the ritual at every game since. A common ritual affecting the rival team involves freezing figures of players or pieces of paper with opponents’ names on them.
Argentine presidents have long been wary of attending high-stakes 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 they suffered a stunning opening loss to Cameroon.
Menem was branded “mufa”, a jinx. No sitting Argentine president is known to have attended a national team match since. There is no such superstition on Spain’s part, however: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez plans to attend Sunday’s World Cup final against Argentina, his office said Friday, and Spain’s King Felipe VI is also expected to watch the game in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
