Argentina's President Javier Milei has announced that he will skip the World Cup final against Spain due to superstition. He plans to watch from his residence in Olivos with his sister and wear a jacket from YPF, the state-owned oil company, as part of a personal good-luck ritual.
The president's decision has an unexpected consequence: it is affecting the crypto markets. Fan tokens and prediction markets are witnessing significant price movements. The $ARG fan token, which allows holders to engage with the Argentine Football Association through polls and rewards on Socios.com, has seen price moves exceeding 96% during the tournament.
Prediction markets have also been active, generating over $3 million in trading volume across crypto prediction platforms for a single match. The surge in popularity is not new; Argentina remains one of the highest-adoption crypto markets due to rampant inflation and strict currency controls.