World Cup 2026: “The Rocky Curse”

"Don't touch Rocky!" All the fans in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were warned that.

Before the France vs. Iraq match, "Les Bleus" fans at the World Cup received an urgent warning that they were not allowed to touch the statue of Rocky Balboa – the famous fictional boxer played by Sylvester Stallone, who has become an icon of Philadelphia.

The warning came after a series of misfortunes befell teams whose fans dared to dress the statue in their team's attire. Ecuador experienced this bitterly when fans draped the yellow jersey and national flag over Rocky's shoulders before their opening group stage match against Ivory Coast. Ultimately, Ecuador lost 0-1.

The Rocky Balboa statue – an icon of Philadelphia. Photo: AP

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Following that unfortunate incident, an Ecuadorian fan attempted to appease the statue's anger by placing an offering of Encebollado—a South American dish—at its base.

According to local belief, no matter which team Rocky plays for, that team will suffer terrible bad luck and defeat. This superstitious belief has gradually become a part of NFL (National Football League) popular culture. The "Rocky Curse" peaked in 2018 when New England Patriots fans placed a Tom Brady jersey on the statue, and their team lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 33-41 in the Super Bowl.

“Clearly, nobody wants to put their jersey on Rocky anymore because they consider it bad luck,” said Kevin Bethel, Philadelphia Police Commissioner. “So we don’t need to worry about people climbing up and throwing their jerseys on him, unless they want to lose.”

Brazilian fans were also warned not to cover the 3-meter-tall bronze statue with anything before the match against Haiti. Apparently, the fans took this seriously. As a result, their team won 3-0.

United States - Vietnam: Don't miss

Strengthening the friendship between Vietnam and the United States.On July 3rd, as part of the Pacific Partnership - Friends of the Pacific 2026 program, the U.S. Army Pacific delegation, led by Lieutenant General Joel Vowell, Deputy Commander of the U.S. Army Pacific, paid a courtesy visit to the Quang Tri Provincial Military Command.

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Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/the-thao/worldcup-2026/world-cup-2026-loi-nguyen-rocky-1045760