When Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino take their seats at MetLife Stadium for the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain, one high-profile head of state will be noticeably absent. Argentine President Javier Milei won't be in New Jersey. He won't be in the luxury boxes. He won't even be leaving his country.
Instead, Milei is staying at the presidential residence in Olivos, Buenos Aires, wrapped in a specific branded jacket with the thermostat turned off.
If you think that sounds absurd for a world leader, you clearly don't understand Argentine football culture.
In Argentina, skipping a world-stage photo op alongside international leaders isn't seen as a diplomatic snub or a political mistake. It's an absolute necessity. Milei's refusal to travel comes down to two deeply entrenched cultural concepts: cábalas and the terrifying prospect of being labeled a mufa.
The Seven Game Streak and the Lucky Jacket
When asked by radio station El Observador whether he would consider flying out for the championship match, Milei didn't hesitate. "No way," he said. He insisted he would watch from home just as he had done for every single match of the tournament.
So far, Argentina has won seven straight matches in this tournament. To touch that routine now would be, in the mind of any superstitious Argentine, pure insanity.
Milei's match-day routine goes well beyond just sitting in the same chair at Olivos. He revealed a strangely specific wardrobe rule that has governed his tournament experience.
During Argentina's quarterfinal match against Switzerland, Milei was wearing a heavy winter jacket branded by YPF, the state-owned energy company. It got hot inside the room, so he zipped it down and took it off. Moments later, Switzerland scored.
"I put it back on right away and haven't taken it off since," Milei explained. Because he refuses to turn on the heating in the residence during games, he sits through every match sweating or shivering in the exact same YPF oil company jacket. It worked through a grueling 2-1 semifinal victory over England, and he isn't about to test fate against Spain.
What Is a Mufa and Why Do Argentine Politicians Fear It
To understand why Milei is staying home, you have to understand the terrifying political weight of being branded a mufa.
In Argentine slang, a mufa is a hex or a person who brings bad luck. In sports, calling someone a mufa is the ultimate curse. If a politician shows up to a match and the national team loses, that leader gets stuck with the label for life.
The origin of this political dread dates back to June 1990. Former President Carlos Menem traveled to Milan to attend the opening match of the 1990 World Cup, where defending champions Argentina faced Cameroon. Argentina suffered a shocking 1-0 defeat in one of the biggest upsets in tournament history.
Fair or not, the public blamed Menem. He was instantly branded a mufa.
Ever since that afternoon in Milan, sitting Argentine presidents have treated national team matches like political landmines. Showing up in the stands offers zero political upside if Argentina wins—the players and coaches get all the credit anyway. But if Argentina loses? The president gets blamed for bringing dark energy to Lionel Messi's squad.
By staying in Olivos, Milei shields himself from a potential lifetime branding while giving the public exactly what they want: a leader who respects the unwritten laws of football luck.
Cábalas Are Not Optional in Buenos Aires
Milei isn't an outlier here. He's behaving like almost every single person in Argentina right now.
In Argentine culture, cábalas are ritualistic habits maintained during a winning streak. They aren't whimsical; they're treated as sacred obligations. If Argentina wins while you are sitting on the floor, you sit on the floor for the rest of the month. If you were wearing an unwashed jersey during a group stage victory, that jersey stays unwashed until the trophy is raised or the team goes home.
Across Argentina, fans take these rituals to extreme lengths:
- Fixed Seating: Viewers must occupy the exact same spot on the sofa, floor, or bar stool for every kickoff.
- Frozen Opponents: A popular local ritual involves writing opponent names or placing player figurines in the freezer to "freeze" their performance on the pitch.
- Frozen Routines: If a fan happens to be in the bathroom or kitchen when Argentina scores, they are often ordered by friends and family to stay in that exact room for the remainder of the match.
- Unbroken Traditions: Groups that watched one victory together must gather at the exact same location with the exact same food and drink for every subsequent round.
During this World Cup, a video went viral showing a group of Argentine supporters who happened to start reading passages from the Bible right as Argentina mounted a attack against Egypt. Naturally, they felt compelled to read the same scriptures during every match thereafter.
When your entire nation is frozen in place out of respect for match day karma, having your president jump on a private jet to New Jersey would feel like a betrayal of the collective effort.
High Stakes in New Jersey
While Milei stays in Buenos Aires, the scene at MetLife Stadium will feature plenty of political star power. US President Donald Trump will be in attendance alongside FIFA chief Gianni Infantino and Spanish King Felipe VI.
Trump is slated to take part in the post-match ceremony, following the tradition of host nation leaders standing alongside FIFA leadership to hand over the trophy. That was the case in Qatar in 2022 when Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani stood beside Infantino as Messi lifted the trophy, and in Russia in 2018 with Vladimir Putin.
For Milei, missing out on a photo alongside Trump—one of his most prominent foreign allies—is a real political trade-off. Yet in the calculations of Argentine politics and sports culture, dodging the mufa label wins every time.
How to Respect the Game Like a True Fan
If you're watching Sunday's showdown between Argentina and Spain, you can take a cue from Milei's textbook execution of football rituals. Here is how to handle match day without ruining the energy for your team:
- Lock in your spot early: Pick your seat before kickoff and do not shift positions during open play.
- Keep the outfit intact: Whatever you wore for the semifinal victory stays on. Do not change shirts midway through.
- Ignore the temptation to brag: Celebrating a victory before the final whistle is the fastest way to invite a bad luck rebound.
- Embrace the routine: If a specific snack, drink, or seating arrangement coincided with a victory, keep it going until the tournament officially ends.
Milei will be watching from Olivos, wearing his YPF jacket in a cold room, refusing to move an inch. Whether Argentina retains the trophy or falls to Spain, no one in Buenos Aires will be able to blame the president for breaking the vibe.
