This baby Jesus prayed for Mexico's El Tri
Mexico may have had one of the World Cup's most devoted supporters. It just was not enough.
For weeks, thousands of fans visited the Metropolitan Cathedral in the heart of Mexico City to pray before El Niño Futbolero — a Baby Jesus statue dressed in Mexico's national team shirt and placed beside a football. Some prayed simply for victory. Others dared to ask for something bigger: a first World Cup title.
The tradition stretches back to Mexico's first time hosting the tournament in 1970. This year, after briefly being halted at another church over concerns it was inappropriate, the custom was revived by the cathedral, where the figure remained on display throughout the competition.
The cathedral's location, just steps from FIFA's Fan Fest in the Zócalo, turned the statue into an unlikely pilgrimage site. Supporters from Mexico and beyond stopped to pray, pose for photographs or quietly ask for a little divine intervention before kick-off.
It made little difference on the pitch.
England ended Mexico's dream with a dramatic 3-2 victory at the Estadio Azteca, despite playing much of the second half with ten men. Jude Bellingham scored twice before Harry Kane's penalty helped send England into the quarter-finals, silencing a stadium that had hoped faith might provide one final advantage.
The Baby Jesus will remain dressed in Mexico's colours until the end of the tournament, cathedral officials say, regardless of the result.
Perhaps that is the more enduring story. Football can inspire prayer, hope and ritual. But even with what may have been the holiest supporter at the World Cup, there are some miracles that never arrive.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
