Argentina’s World Cup final preparations have been thrown into chaos after thunderstorms grounded their flight to New York, leaving Lionel Messi and his teammates stranded in Atlanta just days before Sunday’s showdown against Spain.
The South Americans were due to fly from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to New York on Thursday following their dramatic 2-1 semi-final victory over England on Wednesday night. But severe storms have halted operations, delaying the team’s departure and severely cutting into their training time ahead of the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
“Argentina's flight to World Cup final grounded by storms; president Milei stays home due to superstition.”
The flight between Atlanta and New York typically takes two hours and 20 minutes. If the squad cannot leave until Friday morning, they will have just over one full day to prepare for the Spanish.
Meanwhile, Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, has ruled out travelling to the match, citing superstition. When asked on Thursday whether he would join his close ally US President Donald Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino in New Jersey, Milei replied: “No way.”
Instead, Milei will watch from the presidential residence in Olivos, where he has viewed all seven of Argentina’s previous games in the tournament — all victories. "I'm going to keep watching all the games from Olivos," he told local radio station El Observador.
Milei explained that he will also wear the same heavy jacket he has worn throughout the tournament, a ritual born from a superstitious scare during the Switzerland match. “Since it's cold and I don’t turn on the heat, I wear an oil company-branded jacket. 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," he said.
He is not alone in his rituals. Argentine fans cling to "cábalas" — ritualistic beliefs and habits that carry unusual weight in Latin America. Some refuse to wash their jerseys for the duration of the World Cup; others watch from the same spot. In one widely shared video, a group of fans began reading from the Bible just as Argentina scored against Egypt, obliging them to repeat the ritual at every match since.
Argentine presidents have long been cautious about attending high-stakes World Cup matches. The superstition dates back to the 1990 tournament, when then-president Carlos Menem visited the squad before a stunning opening loss to Cameroon. Menem was branded a "mufa" — a jinx. No sitting Argentine president is known to have attended a national team match since.
Spain, the reigning European champions, have already settled in New Jersey and are training at the Gotham Training Facility after sweeping aside France 2-0 in their semi-final. Luis de la Fuente’s side has conceded just one goal all tournament.
Argentina reached the final after Edson Fernandez equalised from range in the 85th minute and Lautaro Martinez headed home a Lionel Messi cross in the 92nd minute to complete a comeback after Anthony Gordon had given England an early lead.
The team’s delayed departure now threatens their preparation for what promises to be a fiercely contested final.
