Argentine President Javier Milei will not be in the stands for Sunday’s FIFA World Cup final against Spain despite invitations to join US President Donald Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino in New Jersey. Instead, Milei says he will remain at the presidential residence in Buenos Aires, convinced that sticking to his match-day routine gives Argentina the best chance of retaining the World Cup.The Argentine leader revealed on Thursday that superstition — known locally as cábalas — is the sole reason behind his decision to miss football’s biggest match. Argentina have won all seven World Cup games he has watched from home during the tournament, and Milei is unwilling to risk breaking the streak.“No way,” Milei said when asked by Buenos Aires radio station El Observador whether he would travel to New Jersey for the final.“I’m going to keep watching all the games from Olivos,” he added, referring to the presidential residence.The decision means Milei will miss the opportunity to watch the final alongside Trump, one of his closest international allies, and Infantino, who are both expected to be present for the trophy presentation after the match.
Lucky jacket and football rituals
Milei also disclosed another ritual that has become part of Argentina’s unbeaten run.“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,” he explained.The president’s routine reflects a much wider football culture in Argentina, where cábalas occupy an almost sacred place during major tournaments.Many supporters refuse to wash their jerseys throughout the World Cup if the team keeps winning. Others insist on watching every match from the same chair or with the same group of friends. Some fans even believe they must remain in the exact location where Argentina scored previously, while others avoid changing any pre-match routine.One viral video during this World Cup showed a group of supporters reading passages from the Bible just as Argentina began scoring against Egypt. After the victory, they repeated the ritual before every subsequent match. Other fans resort to freezing figurines or slips of paper bearing opponents’ names in the belief that it will bring bad luck to rival teams.
A long-standing presidential superstition
Milei’s decision also follows an unusual tradition among Argentine presidents.The belief dates back to the 1990 World Cup, when then-president Carlos Menem visited the Argentina squad shortly before its shock opening defeat to Cameroon. Menem was subsequently labelled a “mufa” — a jinx — and ever since, sitting Argentine presidents have generally avoided attending crucial World Cup matches involving the national team.For many Argentines, the superstition has become part of football folklore, and Milei appears determined not to become the leader who breaks it.
Trump set to attend final
While Milei stays home, the White House has confirmed that Trump will attend Sunday’s final at the New York-New Jersey Stadium.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the US president was looking forward to the match, describing the tournament as “the most watched, most secure, and most successful World Cup in American history.”Trump is also expected to attend a FIFA reception at Trump Tower before the final. Infantino has confirmed that the US president is expected to join him in presenting the World Cup trophy to the winning captain, continuing the tradition followed by host nation leaders at previous finals.The 2022 trophy presentation in Qatar featured Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani alongside Infantino as Lionel Messi lifted the World Cup, while Russian President Vladimir Putin joined the FIFA chief during France’s triumph in 2018.This time, however, Argentina’s president will be watching from hundreds of miles away, wrapped in the same lucky jacket, hoping that keeping faith with his cábalas is enough to help the defending champions lift the World Cup once again.
