Inside Argentina’s crazy rituals as sweets, holy smoke, Messi’s lucky boots and strict chicken ban fuel World Cup dream

FOOTBALL brings out the strangest habits in fans. Some have a lucky pair of pants, others need a special spot on the sofa, and others will avoid cracks in the pavement like the plague. Argentina are set to face Spain in the World Cup final tonight Credit: Getty Both fans and players take part in lots of superstitious acts to give themselves the best shot Credit: Getty It’s the same for players too. Argentina are set to take centre-stage in New Jersey at 8pm BST tonight as they bid to win back-to-back World Cups. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! While Spain will do all they can to stop the South Americans, Argentina’s crazy rituals and superstitions may have already sealed the victory. Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ goal in 1986 has been embedded into football history. Fans have called it plain cheating, others claim it feels more like a divine right where the football script is written by something bigger than them. BROKEN PROMISES Prior to the 1986 World Cup, the Argentina players are said to have visited the Shrine of the Virgin of Copacabana in northwest Argentina. The stars promised to return if they won but they NEVER did. Argentina went on to lose three finals between 1990 and 2014 and all fingers pointed to the curse. Most read in Sport WORLD CUP 2026 FREE BETS AND SIGN UP OFFERS It was not until 2022, when Lionel Messi and Co became world champions, that the curse was lifted. And the Argentines have learnt their lesson. After 2022, Claudio Chiqui Tapia, president of the Argentine Football Association, took the World Cup trophy to different shrines to give thanks. Rituals, habits, charms. There are all manner of things that can hold onto good luck and cabala is the umbrella over all of them. Religion and superstition intertwine and morph into one ‘thing’ that helps calm fans as they wish their team through the tournament. SWEET DREAMS Rodrigo De Paul and Leandro Paredes chew 14 sweets in the centre circle before every match. Rodrigo De Paul pays tribute to his grandad with his sweet tradition Credit: Getty The Argentine’s grandad gave De Paul his bus fare to get sweets Credit: Getty The cabala – which even featured in an advert for Visa – comes from a childhood memory of De Paul’s grandad walking him home from school or training. De Paul would be given a few coins from his grandad for sweets. What he did not know was that his grandad was giving him his bus fare and choosing to walk home alone instead. LUCKY BOOTS Ahead of the 2022 World Cup, journalist Walter Queijeiro took Messi’s special boots – El Ultimo Tango or the Last Tango – to be blessed at the revered Basilica de Lujan. And, of course, Messi asked God for protection. STAY HOME Argentina president Javier Milei is set to stay home for the final tonight – just as he has done for the other games. Milei told AP: “No way. I’m going to keep watching all the games from Olivos (a municipality in eastern Argentina). “Since it’s cold and I don’t turn on the heat, I wear an oil company-branded jacket. Argentina President Javier Milei will be watching the final at home as he does not want to jinx it Credit: Getty Blue and white crowds have gathered in their masses in Times Square ahead of the final Credit: Getty “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.” CAPTION THAT After Argentina handed England a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat midweek in Atlanta, Messi took to Instagram to share a message with his 514million Instagram followers. He wrote: “ON TO THE FINALS!!!!! We came back to draw strength to make another great match. Thank you very much to everyone who trusted this group!!! Go Argentina.” But fans were quick to realise that it is the exact same caption from 2022 as the South Americans made the final after beating Croatia 3-0. So it may well be that Argentina’s No10 is looking for a copy and paste match from four years ago. CHICKEN BAN Carlos Bilardo’s road to the 1986 World Cup title included an unexpected casualty – chicken. Convinced the bird brought bad luck, Argentina’s eccentric manager strictly banned it from the team menu. BEST FOOT FORWARD Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni revealed that he always steps onto a playing surface with his right foot first. Speaking to The Athletic, Scaloni said: “I’ve done it since I began playing football and I’ll never stop doing it. Lionel Messi’s boots were blessed ahead of the 2022 World Cup Credit: Getty Argentina beat France in the 2022 winning 4-2 on penalties Credit: Reuters “It doesn’t matter what the result of the game is.” HOLY SMOKES Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez are known within the Argentina camp to burn holy wood from the palo santo tree to energetically cleanse spaces, objects, or people. They allegedly take the incense all around the hotel to cleanse negative energies and meditate before major matches. HEARTBREAK HOTEL During the 2024 Copa America, the Argentina national team utilised the Hilton Short Hills in New Jersey. The hotel clearly left a lasting impression and perhaps a bit of good luck on La Albiceleste. And they have chosen the same pad for the final stages of the 2026 World Cup. Keeping the exact same rooms and routines was the ultimate cabala to keep their winning momentum alive. Asado are traditonal South American barbacues used to bring a slice of home to the World Cup Credit: AFP The Argentina players reportedly held an asado before each 2026 World Cup game Credit: Getty Emi Martinez with the Argentina flag in his hair Credit: Getty Sticks of sacred wood from the palo santo tree Credit: Getty BARBER LOYALTY Emi Martinez debuted a bright blue-and-white flag emblazoned across his head in Qatar in 2022. It’s one of the most ultra-visible signs of national pride for the knockout stages and in 2024 he did it again in the Copa America. Now he’s brought it back for the 2026 World Cup as they head into the final for a second year running. ASADO FOR ALL The Argentina camp reportedly brought over 2,000lbs of meat to Qatar in 2022 to fuel themselves for the World Cup. But they were not going to just stick it in the oven. Instead, asado – a traditional outdoor barbecue – was a piece of home. Tracking all the way back to Kansas City, the players have organised an asado before every game – complete with music. THE ENEMY Some fans use aggressive tactics like the cuernitos “little horns” hand sign to jinx opponents. Others put a rival’s name in the freezer to “freeze” their performance, but many discourage these negative vibes to avoid bad karma. 1 comment1