Argentina President Javier Milei refuses to attend FIFA World Cup 2026 final in New York against Spain; here's why

In a surprise move, Argentine President Javier Milei will not be attending the FIFA World Cup 2026 final on July 19 between defending champions Argentina and Spain at the MetLife Stadium in New York. While Argentina are seeking to be the third team after Brazil and Italy to win back-to-back World Cup titles, Spain are aiming for their first trophy since 2010.

The United States President Donald Trump will attend the FIFA World Cup 2026 final, the White House confirmed on Thursday, and is expected to hand over the trophy to the winning team. However, there is no official confirmation yet whether Spain President Pedro Sánchez will attend.

Milei's decision to watch the FIFA World Cup 2026 final isn't due to any official work, but can be called as a superstition. The Argentina President watched all previous seven games Lionel Messi and Co won in the USA from home and will be doing so in the final too.

In a bid to help his nation's beloved football team secure their second consecutive title, Milei added, he'll be wearing the same heavy jacket, too. Fans and players around the world cling to superstitions they believe can bring good luck to their team - or misfortune to their opponents.

Superstitions carry unusual weight in Argentina

But in Latin America, and particularly in Argentina, so-called "cábalas," or ritualistic beliefs and habits, carry unusual weight, reflecting the intensity with which many here watch their national team.

When asked Thursday whether he'd travel to New Jersey for Sunday's game to watch alongside his close ally President 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.”

When did Argentine superstition start?

Like Milei, most Argentines have cábalas as they stick to the exact same routine if the team is winning. Some wear the same clothes in every match, refuse to wash jerseys for the duration of the World Cup. Some watch each game in the same spot - or are not allowed to watch at all, as can be the case with those who happen to be in the bathroom when Argentina scores.

The smallest actions take on extraordinary meaning. In one widely shared video from this World Cup, a group of fans began reading from the Bible just as Argentina started scoring against Egypt, obliging them to repeat the ritual at every match since. One common ritual to impact the rival team involves freezing figurines of players or pieces of paper with opponents' names.

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 is known to have attended a national team match since.

Get all updates from FIFA World Cup 2026 here, along with FIFA World Cup 2026 Complete Schedule and FIFA World Cup 2026 Points Table.