Buried cats, exorcisms and a sunken Colonel Sanders – the strange world of sporting curses

Sports fans often turn to superstitions to boost their team's chances of victory. These beliefs range from using a specific seat to wearing "lucky" items, such as beards or even black cats. Some teams believe they are cursed, which can seem like a plausible explanation for long championship droughts or multiple heartbreaking losses.

Benfica, a Portuguese soccer club, won the European Cup in 1961 and 1962 under coach Bela Guttmann. After he demanded a pay rise and was refused, Guttmann left the club, declaring they would not win another European trophy for a century. Benfica has gone on to make eight finals since then but has lost every one, seemingly cursed by Guttmann's decision.

The Racing Club of Argentina is one of the most successful soccer teams in the country, with 15 titles in the Argentinian Premier League between 1913 and 1966. When Racing won their 1966 title, they entered the Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental Cup, but their rivals, Independiente, retaliated by burying seven black cats in the stadium at the behest of a local witch.

Racing endured a 35-year title drought, during which Independiente won eight titles, five Copa Libertadores, and two Intercontinental cups. Despite various attempts to lift the curse, Racing was eventually relegated and declared bankrupt.

The County Mayo GAA team in Ireland experienced a 75-year championship drought from 1951 to 2021. Legend has it that the team interrupted a funeral while celebrating their 1951 victory, cursing them with a lack of championships as long as any player remained alive. County Mayo lost all 13 finals during this period, including four close one-point losses. When Mick Loftus, the last surviving member of the 1951 team, died in 2023, the team finally won the next championship in 2026, lifting the curse.

The Chicago Cubs, a beloved American baseball team, were once successful but fell victim to the "curse of the billy goat" in 1945. William Sianis, a local tavern owner, claimed his pet goat was denied entry to a World Series game due to its smell and cursed the Cubs afterward. This curse lasted 71 years until the Cubs won their first World Series title in 2016, breaking the long drought.

The "curse of The Bambino" is tied to the Boston Red Sox's 86-year championship drought between 1918 and 2004. Babe Ruth was traded from the Red Sox to the New York Yankees in 1920, and the Red Sox's fortunes dramatically reversed, while the Yankees went on to win the most championships (26) in American professional sports. The Red Sox finally broke the curse in 2004, winning their first championship since 1918.

Lastly, the Hanshin Tigers baseball team in Japan faced the "curse of the Colonel," which began in 1985 when fans celebrated a championship victory by shouting the names of players. One fan resembled the star US hitter Randy Bass, so they threw a plastic statue of Colonel Sanders into the canal in an attempt to lift the curse. The team has since experienced various fortunes, but the legend persists.