Brazilian fans warn of "Rocky Balboa's curse" in Philadelphia
A few days before the match between Brazil and Haiti for the 2026 World Cup, Brazilian fans made an appeal on social media for no one to place their national team's shirt on the statue of Rocky Balboa, one of Philadelphia's main tourist attractions. The reason is the fear of "bad luck".
The "zica" warning was published by Movimento Verde Amarelo (MVA), a group of Brazilian fans who follow the team. In the publication, the profile wrote: "It is totally forbidden to put a Brazil shirt on the Rocky statue in Philly. You already know how bad it can be and there are things that are better not to risk, right?".
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In the comments, fans joined in the fun. "Happy that you made a statement about it. That said, put the one from Argentina," wrote one.
Another suggested: "Put the France shirt on Rocky to test a business." A third said: "Every team in every sport that put a shirt on Rocky lost the game. Ecuador was the last. There's this curse here in Philly."
The superstition gained more strength in this World Cup after Ecuador dressed the statue of Rocky Balboa with the national team's shirt before their debut in the World Cup. The following day, the team ended up being defeated 1-0 by Ivory Coast.
The fame of the so-called "Rocky Balboa curse" even reached local authorities. The Pennsylvania State Department of Tourism published a message addressed to delegations from Brazil, Haiti, France, Iraq, Curaçao, Croatia and Ghana that will work in Philadelphia.
"As good hosts, we would like to share some information about a well-known phenomenon in Philadelphia: the curse of Rocky Balboa," the post says.
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The organization recalls that several teams placed shirts on the statue before matches and ended up defeated, citing Ecuador as the most recent example. "We regret this announcement was not shared sooner, but here we are," the message concludes.
The Brazilian team faces Haiti this Friday (19), at 9:30 pm (Brasília time), in the second round of the group stage of the World Cup.
Source: CNN