Argentine President Javier Milei has confirmed he will not attend the World Cup final in New Jersey on Sunday, citing superstition, and will instead watch the match from the presidential residence in Olivos — just as he has done for all seven of Argentina's matches in the tournament, all of which they have won. To ensure the defending champions' success, he will also wear the same heavy jacket.
In an interview with Buenos Aires radio station El Observador, Milei was asked whether he would appear at the final alongside his ally U.S. President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, as some had expected. He replied flatly: "Absolutely not."
"I will keep watching all the matches from Olivos," Milei said. When pressed by the reporter on whether this was for superstitious reasons, he confirmed it and shared his "cábala" — the Argentine term for a lucky ritual. "Because it was cold, I didn't turn on the heating and wore an oil-company jacket. During the Switzerland match, it got too hot, and I took it off — and the opponent scored. I put it back on immediately and have not taken it off since."
In Argentina and across Latin America, fans and players alike place great importance on "cábalas" — superstitious rituals believed to bring good luck to the team or misfortune to opponents. Many fans will stick to the same habits during a winning streak: wearing the same unwashed shirt, watching from the same spot, or even being "banned" from watching if they happened to be in the bathroom when a goal was scored.
Argentine presidents have historically been extremely cautious about attending important national team matches, for fear of being branded as an "unlucky guy." This superstition dates back to the 1990 World Cup, when President Carlos Menem visited the national team ahead of their opening match. Argentina unexpectedly lost 0-1 to Cameroon, and Menem was immediately labeled as bad luck by fans. Since then, no sitting Argentine president has attended a national team match.
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