Superstitious Argentina have made a special request to wear their "lucky" away kit for Tuesday's World Cup semi-final against England in Atlanta, drawing inspiration from memorable victories over the Three Lions in 1986 and 1998.
England, as the designated home team, will wear their traditional all-white kit, while Lionel Messi and his teammates are set to wear their navy blue away strip—the same kit they wore in their 3-1 group-stage victory over Jordan, their only outing in the strip so far at the tournament.
FIFA prefers both teams to wear their home kits where possible, provided there is sufficient contrast for television viewers. However, with both sides' home kits featuring white, Argentina requested permission to wear their away kit.
According to The Sun Football, the request is fuelled by a superstition among Argentine journalists, who believe the navy strip brings good fortune against England.
The belief stems from Argentina's famous World Cup triumph over England in 1986, when Diego Maradona scored both the controversial "Hand of God" goal and one of the greatest goals in World Cup history. On that occasion, England wore white while Argentina played in blue.
The pattern was repeated at the 1998 World Cup in France, when David Beckham was sent off in the Round of 16 clash. The match ended 2-2 before Argentina advanced on penalties, again wearing their navy away kit against England's white strip.
The theory, however, has its flaws.
When England beat Argentina 1-0 at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, the Three Lions wore red while Argentina wore their iconic sky-blue-and-white stripes. Beckham scored the winner from the penalty spot, avenging his 1998 red card.
There is another exception: England defeated Argentina 3-2 in an international friendly in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2005, despite Argentina wearing their dark blue kit.
England will also draw confidence from history, having never lost to Argentina when playing as the designated home team—a record stretching back 75 years.