After Ecuador lost its World Cup opener against Ivory Coast in Philadelphia on Sunday, some people pointed to a years-long superstition as a possible explanation. Some fans believe the South American country lost 1-0 to the African country not because of a lack of skills or talent. Instead, they think the Rocky statue curse is to blame. The superstition suggests that when fans of non-Philadelphia teams dress the iconic Rocky statue in their team’s gear, the team loses. While Ecuador did not play against the Eagles, some believe they still fell victim to the Rocky curse after a fan dressed the statue with the country’s jersey. Since 2015, many rivals of the Philadelphia Eagles have lost after dressing Rocky in their team’s jerseys. Teams that dressed Rocky and lost Ecuador: FIFA World Cup 2026 Rocky dressed with Ecuador’s jersey Final score: Loss 1-0 against Ivory Coast Washington Commanders: NFC Championship 2025 Rocky dressed with scarf, blanket and other gear Final score: Loss 23-55 against the Eagles San Francisco 49ers: NFC Championship 2023 Rocky dressed with a 49ers jersey Final score: Loss 31-7 against the Eagles New England Patriots: Super Bowl LII 2018 Rocky dressed with a Tom Brady jersey Final score: Loss 41-33 against the Eagles Minnesota Vikings: NFC Championship 2018 Rocky dressed with scar and towel with the team’s colors Final score: Loss 38-7 against the Eagles New York Giants: Regular season 2015 Rocky dressed with Steve Weatherford’s jersey Final score: Loss 27-7 against the Eagles While these are all examples of potential victims of the Rocky curse, there have been other teams that have been lucky enough to live to tell the tale. Kansas City Chiefs: Super Bowl LVII 2023 Rocky dressed with Chiefs jersey Final score: Win 38-35 against the Eagles San Francisco 49ers: Regular season 2021 Rocky wore a 49ers flag Final score: Win 17-11 against the Philadelphia Eagles So, is the Rocky curse back for the World Cup? We’ll have to wait and see if teams are willing to risk it all to find out. Lee esta historia en español aquí. ...read more read less