Argentina’s World Cup Final Superstitions: The Rituals Fans Believe Will Bring Victory

In Argentina, Sunday's football final is the only thing on people's minds. I'm in the middle of one of the popular crossroads here in Buenos Aires, and everywhere you look, you can see the replays of the games that the Argentine teams won, bringing them to the final of the World Cup. But that's not all. Just here across the street, more television screens, but more importantly, the image of Argentina's idol, Lionel Messi. Not only that, here you can buy a T-shirt that says, the Messiah, Lionel Messi. There's also Diego Maradona. He is called the saint. They are counting on both of them to bring Argentina yet again to a victory at the final of the World Cup. But that isn't the only thing that Argentines are counting on. Ines Mutri says freezing the image of the star players of Argentina's opposing team was the ritual she used against England, and she'll do the same against Spain. It's called a cabala. Cabala is something you always do when you think it will help your team win. If you don't do it, you lose. What's yours, I ask? A statue of Santa Claus, our lucky charm. It's worked for every game. A cabala is a mix of ritual, lucky charm, and superstition, so widespread that Argentina's president, Javier Milet, won't attend the final in person because it's thought to bring bad luck. So he'll watch from home, wearing his cabala, the oversuit of Argentina's petrol company, IPF. Juan Chedimignano explains that the cabalas make Argentine fans feel more secure. For example, I use the same exact clothes for every game. I was wearing a thermal shirt during the last one and dying of heat, but I never took it off. He says some people don't change their underwear until the end of the championship. During an earlier game when Argentina seemed to be losing, a sports commentator told viewers to change their seats, and they did. No cabala is too small or too bizarre in a country that's living and breathing for another World Cup victory. Lucian Newman, Al Jazeera, Buenos Aires.