Argentina president Javier Milei will not be in the stands for Sunday’s FIFA World Cup final against Spain despite calls to join the US president. Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino in New Jersey. Instead, Milei says he will stay at the presidential residence in Buenos Aires, convinced that sticking to his daily routine gives Argentina the best chance to retain the World Cup.The Argentine leader revealed on Thursday that superstition – known locally as cábalas – is the sole reason for his decision to miss the biggest football match. Argentina have won all seven World Cup games they have seen 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 if he would travel to New Jersey for the final.“I will continue to watch all the games from Olivos,” he added, referring to the presidential residence.The decision means Milei will miss the chance 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 have heat, I’m wearing an oil company brand jacket. On 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 soccer culture in Argentina, where cabals occupy an almost sacred place during major tournaments.Many supporters refuse to wash their jerseys throughout the World Cup if the team continues to win. Others insist on watching every game from the same seat or with the same group of friends. Some fans even believe they should be in the exact spot where Argentina scored first, while others avoid changing any pre-match routine.A viral video during this World Cup showed a group of supporters reading passages from the Bible as Argentina started to score against Egypt. After the victory, they repeated the ritual before each subsequent match. Other fans resort to freezing figurines or pieces of paper bearing the names of opponents 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 President Carlos Menem visited the Argentine team shortly before their opening defeat in Cameroon. Menem was subsequently labeled “mufa” – a jinx – and since then, 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 seems determined not to become the leader who breaks it.
Trump will participate in the final
While Milei is staying home, the White House has confirmed that Trump will attend Sunday’s final at 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, safest and most successful World Cup in American history”.Trump is also expected to attend a FIFA reception at Trump Tower before the final. Infantino 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 the host nation’s leaders at previous finals.The presentation of the 2022 trophy in Qatar featured the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani with Infantino as Lionel Messi lifting the World Cup, while Russian President Vladimir Putin joined the head of FIFA during the triumph of France 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 cabal is enough to help the defending champions lift the World Cup once more.