Football World Cup: 10 Good Luck Rituals You Should Know Before Coming to Argentina

Superstitions, routines, traditions, and beliefs: Good luck rituals are all that and more! They are the reason fans justify every goal, dribbling, and victory. They are the indispensable condition that can never be altered if something ever went well.

Argentina dresses in light-blue and white every four years, and the national rites are replicated. Flags hung from balconies, thousands of people walking down the street with the National Team T-shirt, advertisements that go deep into our hearts… The World Cup in the country with the End of the World is magical, unique, and representative. The emblematic colours are worn with a different feeling, people belt out the anthem at the top of their lungs, and the rituals flourish. The characteristic passion of the Argentinian character shows off its best version during World Cups. So, to get through the coming times, there is nothing better than learning our good luck ritual carried out per game.

Coincidences with the 1986 World Cup

In Argentina, the emotion of the victory in 1986 is still raw. We had the best in the world, Diego Armando Maradona. We scored the best goal in World Cup history against the English team, better known as the Goal of the Century. We had a high-scoring team. Today? The picture is quite similar: Lionel Messi is at his best, the players are super enthusiastic, and an entire country is waiting for the cup again.

The new local obsession is to find similarities between 1986 and 2022, in the hope that these small details become the largest ritual in the world. For example, the 1986 final against Germany was at 12 PM, crowning Argentina the champion. This year’s final in Qatar is at the same hour. At that time, Maradona left the Barcelona team, and two years later, he won the World Cup. Messi followed that path, and the same result could be triggered. Other minor details? Robert De Niro’s visit to the country this year (the last one was in 1986 too), the premiere of Top Gun, and Canada’s classification after 36 years. They are all speculations, but they are increasingly taking centre stage in peoples’ chats.

No One Gets up

This is the situation: All people present are seated with their eyes fixed on the screen, following the ball passes, runs, and dribbles. Suddenly, what they have been expecting from the beginning of the game happens, exceeding any expectation: Argentina scores a great goal! After celebrating, yelling, and hugging friends, there is one basic rule that everyone has to abide by: no one is allowed to move. As the match continues, everyone has to remain as they are seated, in the same order, the same positions. No one is even allowed to get up to go to the bathroom —that’s what half-time is for.

You never know the energetic reasons why players score a goal. So, better safe than sorry.

If You Got Up, Leave the Room

Same situation as above: the positions are clear; each person plays an essential role. If a member of the group got up to look for something or go to the bathroom, and coincidentally, Argentina scored a goal while they were gone, the rules apply in the same way. Whoever left cannot return to watch the rest of the game on TV because their departure caused the National Team to be one point higher than the opponent. The alternative? Stay in another room of the house and be guided by the shouts of your friends to understand the game’s thermometer.

Cursed Word

The word “kiricocho” is used increasingly more often to give the opponent bad luck. When the rival is about to kick, especially when they play penalties, uttering it is very common. Its meaning dates back to the 1980s, when Carlos Salvador Bilardo, known for getting to two World Cup finals with the Argentina’s National Team, was coaching Estudiantes de La Plata football team. At that time, Juan Carlos Kiricocho was a supporter, and every time he went to the pitch, a player would get injured. That is why his last name is used today to transmit bad energy to the opponents.

Gestures

Argentinians are known for their effusive way of expressing themselves. That is already widely known. Locals communicate with their whole body: hands, arms, even faces. Whatever the event, there are always gestures involved, and the World Cup is no exception. Actually, quite the contrary. The songs are louder, our throats swell, and every gesture helping to cheer up the team adds up. In the same way, we’ve got a whole repertoire of signs to transmit back luck to the opposing team. Something that does not fail either are the ugly words, uttered when something does not go as expected. Everything is intense and passionate, just as Argentinians, and there are gestures that are part of our folklore. All this is the football magic: spells and enchantments are performed by enthusiasts to win and make the other lose.

Repeat Your Day

What did you do the day that Argentina won? You must remember where you walked to, what you bought, how you got up, etc. People try to repeat that day exactly in the same way. And, above all, watch the next game with the same people, the same menu, and at the same place, even if the host doesn't want to offer their house again. These passionate people take this ritual very seriously, and are capable of doing anything it takes to get anyone else to respect it. You don’t play around with superstitions, and even less so during the World Cup.

Wear the Same Shirt

Even if it doesn’t fit any more, even if it’s dirty, even if it’s missing pieces, and even if it's come unstitched. If Argentina did well when you wore that shirt, you must wear the same one. Some extremists apply this rule with underwear (sometimes, you can’t even wash it so that it doesn't lose its magical power). Looking ahead to Qatar 2022, under no circumstances should this clothing ritual be underestimated.

Binding Promises

For millions of Argentinians, it is very common to make promises of all kinds before an important game. And they are forced to keep them, either for pride or to avoid bad luck for the National Team. From making a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Luján, getting a tattoo no matter how bizarre, or shaving your head bald to running a marathon, giving away your most precious belongings, or climbing to the top of a mountain. Whatever it takes as long as Argentina wins.

Do Not Celebrate Goals in Advance

This might be the most important ritual of all. It is absolutely forbidden to shout out loud goals before they are actually scored. It doesn’t matter if someone sees it coming, if the header is excellently directed towards the goal, if there is a penalty or free kick, if the ball is on the edge of the goal line… You shall never celebrate goals before the referee blows the whistle, the player celebrates it with his teammates, the reporter cries out the eternal “goooooal”, or until you see the ball bounce off the net. More than a ritual, it is a rule; it is law.

The Players also Have Their Rituals

If you thought that only spectators and supporters had their special rituals, you were wrong. Professional players, who give it their all on the pitch, also have their own rituals. From the most basic, such as entering the pitch with the right foot, or not touching the cup before becoming winners, to not saying the word “champion” during the entire competition. Nothing looks extreme to us to ensure the conquest and become world champions.