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

Many eyes were on Argentina before the start of the World Cup in Qatar, as they had one of the most complete squads in the tournament and were tipped as one of the favorites to go all the way, together with Brazil. A lot of pressure has been on Lionel Scaloni and his players’ shoulders, as the Argentine nation is willing them on to lift their third World Cup trophy.

And it actually seems that 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, who could fulfil the dream.

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.

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 was 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 jinx or bad luck, while the word Anulo means to cancel or rescind. The truth is that it didn’t help the team to start off 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 have expected.

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 where they will face reigning champions France.

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