The president of Argentina will miss the final of the 2026 World Cup because of superstition

The president of Argentina, Javier Millay, made an unexpected, but very understandable decision for his compatriots: he will not go to the final of the World Cup, where the current champions will meet with the Spanish national team. The main reason for such a step is deep-rooted football superstition. Instead of watching the game from a VIP box in New Jersey alongside US President Donald Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Miley will remain at his residence in Olivos. It was there that he watched the previous seven matches of the Argentine national team in this tournament, each of which ended in victory. When asked directly by journalists whether he would go to the finals, the president categorically answered: "Not at all." In an interview with local radio station El Observador, Miley admitted that he strictly adheres to his rituals as he strives to help the team win a second consecutive league title. One of them is wearing a specific tight jacket with an oil company logo. "On the day of the game with Switzerland, I was very hot. I took it off and they scored a goal for us. I put it on again and never took it off," the head of state explained seriously. Miley's behavior is a stark reflection of how seriously Latin America, and Argentina in particular, takes the so-called cabalas (cábalas), ritual beliefs and practices that supposedly bring good luck to a team or curses to opponents. This emphasizes the incredible intensity with which the nation lives the matches of its national team. Among the most common rituals of Argentine fans: Wearing the same shirt without washing it throughout the championship. Watching all matches is strictly in the same place (some are even banned from watching the game if the team scored a goal when that person accidentally went to the toilet). Reading the Bible during attacks (as a group of fans did from the moment of the goal against Egypt, obliging themselves to repeat it every game) or freezing figurines or pieces of paper with the names of the opposing team's players in the refrigerator. The caution of Argentine leaders about attending important matches has long historical roots. This superstitious fear dates back to the 1990 World Cup. Then-president Carlos Menem visited the national team location just before the match, in which Argentina suffered a stunning defeat against Cameroon. After that event, Menem was popularly dubbed a mufa, a person who brings misfortune and curses. Since that time, it is not known for certain whether at least one current president of Argentina dared to personally attend a match of the national team at the stadium. Javier Miley decided not to tempt fate and support this unspoken tradition. We will remind, earlier it became known that