What is ‘Anulo mufa’, the superstition of the Argentina supporters in the Qatar World Cup 2022?

‘La Albiceleste’ fans are using this expression during the tournament and the truth is that it has worked pretty well so far.

Many eyes were on Argentina before the start of the World Cup in Qatar, as they have one of the most complete squads in the tournament and were tipped as the top favorites to go all the way together with Brazil.

A lot of pressure has been on Lionel Scaloni and his players’ shoulders, as the Argentinian nation is willing to lift their third World Cup trophy.

It actually seems it’s the perfect time to achieve that goal, taking into consideration that the Argentinian great Lionel Messi is still part of the squad and that he’s surrounded by a group of talented young and experienced players, which could lead to potential success.

The ‘Anulo mufa’ factor

For Argentinian fans, soccer is close to being a religion and when it comes to the World Cup, the whole country supports their team until the very last second.

And for such passionate supporters, there might be some intangibles besides the game that may affect the final result of a game.

During this World Cup, Argentinian fans have been using the phrase Anulo mufa on social media to try to give their team a bit of luck, but what does it mean?

This phrase has been created before the start of the World Cup by Argentinian fans to cancel a curse but also as a way of protecting the team from any bad results or elimination after so many people made predictions about the team’s chances of going all the way in the tournament and lifting the title.

Mufa translates to jynx or bad luck, while the word Anulo means to cancel or rescind. Truth is that it didn’t help the team to start with a positive result in Qatar, as Messi and co. lost to Saudi Arabia in their opener (1-2) in one of the most shocking results any fan could expect.

However, it has become more and more popular as La Albiceleste bounced back from that defeat with a five-game winning streak that has lead Scaloni’s pupils to the final round of the competition.

Obviously, Argentina’s fate in Qatar depends on their quality and perseverance to emerge victorious in the games, but Argentinian fans wouldn’t probably want to take risks and stop pronouncing the Anulo mufa expression... just in case.