Argentina President Javier Milei has revealed why he will not attend Sunday's FIFA World Cup final against Spain, admitting his decision is driven entirely by superstition. Instead of being in the stadium, Milei will watch the match from home, the same place where he has followed Argentina's previous seven matches during the tournament. With the defending champions winning every one of those games, he is unwilling to change what he believes has become a lucky routine. Milei also said he plans to wear the same heavy jacket he has worn throughout Argentina's World Cup campaign in the hope that it brings the team another slice of fortune as they chase a second successive title.
While football is decided on the pitch, superstitions have long been part of the sport, with fans and even players holding on to rituals they believe influence results. In Latin America, and particularly in Argentina, these traditions, known as "cábalas", hold special significance. They reflect the deep emotional connection supporters have with the national team and the belief that even the smallest routine can make a difference on football's biggest stage.
When asked on Thursday whether he'd travel to New Jersey for Sunday's game to watch alongside his close ally, U.S. President Donald Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino, as was widely expected, Milei replied, “No way."
“I'm going to keep watching all the games from Olivos," he told a local Buenos Aires radio station, El Observador, referring to his presidential residence.
The journalist asked if he's staying home for superstitious reasons. Milei said yes, going on to explain another of his rituals: "Since it's cold and I don’t turn on the heat, I wear an oil company-branded jacket. The day of the Switzerland game, it made me really hot. I took it off, and they scored a goal against us. I put it back on and never took it off again.”
{{/usCountry}}The journalist asked if he's staying home for superstitious reasons. Milei said yes, going on to explain another of his rituals: "Since it's cold and I don’t turn on the heat, I wear an oil company-branded jacket. The day of the Switzerland game, it made me really hot. I took it off, and they scored a goal against us. I put it back on and never took it off again.”
{{/usCountry}}Like Milei, many Argentines faithfully follow their own *cábalas*, refusing to change any routine while the national team is on a winning run. Some wear the same outfit for every match, while others refuse to wash their Argentina jerseys until the tournament ends. Many insist on watching games from the exact same seat or with the same group of people, believing any change could bring bad luck. Some even avoid watching altogether if Argentina happened to score while they were away from the television during an earlier match.
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Even the simplest acts can become powerful rituals. During this World Cup, one viral video showed a group of supporters reading from the Bible just as Argentina began scoring against Egypt, prompting them to repeat the tradition before every match since. Another popular superstition involves trying to bring misfortune to opponents by freezing figurines of rival players or slips of paper bearing their names.
Superstition dates back to the 1990 World Cup
Argentine presidents have long been cautious about 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 squad right before it suffered a stunning opening loss to Cameroon.
Menem was branded a “mufa," a jinx. No sitting Argentine president has been known to attend a national team match since.