Why Argentina’s President Javier Milei Will Skip the World Cup Final

Argentina’s president will miss the biggest match of the tournament. Javier Milei confirmed he won’t travel to the United States for Sunday’s Milei World Cup final showdown against Spain. Instead, he plans to watch from his residence in Olivos, just as he did throughout the entire competition.

Milei announced his decision on Thursday, July 16. Notably, he attributed the choice entirely to superstition rather than scheduling conflicts or security concerns. According to reports from The Athletic, Argentina has won all seven of its matches this tournament so far. Therefore, the president sees no reason to break a winning routine now.

“No way. I’m going to keep watching all the games from Olivos,” Milei said when reporters asked whether he would attend the final. His stance highlights just how seriously superstition factors into this Argentina squad’s World Cup run.

Milei’s Match-Day Rituals Go Beyond Location

Staying home isn’t Milei’s only ritual. He also plans to wear the same heavy jacket he’s worn throughout the tournament. Interestingly, he explained that removing it once already brought consequences during Argentina’s group match against Switzerland.

He described how the mishap unfolded rather memorably. Because he doesn’t turn on the heat at home, he normally wears an oil company-branded jacket for warmth. During the Switzerland game, however, the jacket made him too hot, so he took it off. Almost immediately, Switzerland scored against Argentina. Since then, Milei has refused to remove the jacket again, regardless of the weather.

This level of superstition isn’t unique to the president, either. Argentina’s coaching staff and players follow their own pre-match habits, and several of those rituals have become tournament traditions in their own right.

Superstition Runs Deep Across the Argentina World Cup Camp

Head coach Lionel Scaloni has a ritual dating back to his playing days. He always steps onto the pitch with his right foot first, regardless of how previous matches turned out. “I’ve done it since I began playing football and I’ll never stop doing it,” he said, adding that the outcome of any given game doesn’t change the habit.

Meanwhile, several Argentina players have built their own good-luck traditions. Lionel Messi, midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, and Argentine Football Association president Claudio Tapia began posing for a group photo before major matches back in 2021. That year, Argentina ended a 28-year wait for the Copa América title after beating Brazil. Since then, the trio has repeated the photo before the 2022 Finalissima against Italy and the 2022 World Cup final against France. Both times, Argentina won.

Given that track record, it seems unlikely anyone on the team wants to break tradition now, especially with a second consecutive title within reach.

The Road to Sunday’s Final

Argentina reached this year’s final after a dramatic 2-1 comeback win over England in the semi-final. Spain, meanwhile, advanced by defeating France in their own semi-final matchup. As a result, Sunday’s final pits two of the tournament’s strongest sides against each other at MetLife Stadium, where Argentina will try to defend its title as reigning champions.

The stakes could hardly be higher. A win would give Argentina back-to-back World Cup titles, while Spain would claim its first championship since 2010. Naturally, fans on both sides are approaching the final with a mixture of excitement and nerves, and Milei’s superstition adds an extra layer of drama to an already tense build-up.

Beyond the presidential ritual, the football world has found other ways to add intrigue to Sunday’s showdown. In a separate but related story, a prediction feline named Nimbus Pronos recently picked a winner for the Argentina-Spain clash. Given how evenly matched both teams appear heading into the final, even a viral cat’s prediction has managed to capture public attention ahead of kickoff.

Whether or not Milei’s superstitions actually influence results on the pitch remains impossible to prove. Still, for a leader overseeing a nation gripped by World Cup fever, sticking to a winning formula seems like the safer bet. As Sunday approaches, all eyes will be on MetLife Stadium — and, in a smaller but no less devoted way, on a presidential residence in Olivos where Milei will be watching, jacket zipped up, hoping history repeats itself one more time.

For more on the tournament build-up, The Athletic’s coverage offers additional detail on Milei’s superstition-driven approach. Readers can also find background on Argentina’s tournament history via Wikipedia’s overview of the FIFA World Cup.