Brazilian Fan Dresses Rocky Statue in Argentina Jersey to Avoid Curse

The Brazilian national team began its 2026 World Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw against Morocco in the opening round, setting its primary objective to defeat Haiti by the largest possible margin to top the group.

Meanwhile, Haiti suffered a 1-0 loss to Scotland in the first round of Group Three matches.

Prior to the game, a Brazilian fan dressed Philadelphia’s Rocky statue in an Argentina national team jersey, believing this would help avoid the statue’s infamous curse.

The so-called "Rocky curse" is a well-known sports superstition in Philadelphia. It holds that any team whose fans place jerseys, scarves, or flags on the statue will lose their next match.

Several teams across American football, baseball, and basketball have been defeated after adorning the statue with their colors. This includes teams favored to win the Super Bowl, with fans of Philadelphia teams criticizing supporters of the Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, and San Francisco teams after they decorated the statue and subsequently suffered heavy losses.

The Pennsylvania Department of Tourism issued a humorous warning to fans of several 2026 World Cup teams scheduled to play in Philadelphia, cautioning them about the risks of wearing their team colors near the famous statue of the character portrayed by Sylvester Stallone in the globally acclaimed 1980s film series.

The tourism authorities’ message read: "To the delegations of Brazil, Haiti, France, Iraq, Curaçao, Croatia, and Ghana: Pennsylvania warmly welcomes you and wishes you success in your upcoming World Cup matches in Philadelphia. As generous hosts, we want to inform you about a well-documented phenomenon in Philadelphia: the Rocky statue curse."

How the Rocky Statue Curse Affected Ecuador

This advisory followed a recent incident where thousands of Ecuadorian fans gathered on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, waving flags and placing their national team’s jersey on the Rocky statue. Hours later, Ecuador lost 1-0 to Ivory Coast with a last-minute goal in the dying moments of the match.

The coincidence sparked widespread jokes among fans on local media, prompting the U.S. Department of Tourism to express regret in its statement for not warning the South American team earlier.

The department added with irony: "Rocky wore Ecuador’s jersey. Coincidence? Unfortunately, history says no."

Many American fans also noted on social media that Ecuador’s team erred by disregarding a longstanding city tradition.

The statue, created for the third installment of the famous film series, was donated to Philadelphia by Stallone and placed in front of the Museum of Art. The iconic Rocky dance performed at the statue’s location remains one of the most famous scenes from the globally successful film franchise.