Dollar ‘on the mattress’ and prizes: how thousands of Argentines went to the Cup even with the country in crisis

Argentine trader Esteban Citara and a group of ten friends traveled to the World Cup in Qatar and watched all of Argentina’s games in the world, until they witnessed the apotheosis of the world title on Sunday (18)

It was the seventh time that the group —named “los Mundialistas”— was in a World Cup.

Speaking from Doha to BBC News Brasil, before flying back to Buenos Aires, Citara said that the first time the group was in a World Cup was in France in 1998.

Afterwards, “los Mundialistas” did not lose any more of the Argentine matches in a World Cup. They were in competition in Japan in 2002, in Germany in 2006, in South Africa in 2010, in Brazil in 2014, in Russia in 2018 and in Qatar in this 2022.

Owner of “choripanerias” —snack bars specializing in the typical bread and sausage sandwich— in the neighborhoods of Palermo and San Telmo, in the city of Buenos Aires, Citara told how he and his friends, who are not rich, do not to miss a World Cup , despite the economic crises in Argentina.

“A month from now, we’re going to start planning, in detail, how we’ll travel at the next World Cup. This is our method. We buy tickets well in advance and book accommodation well in advance. motorhome, said Citara. FIFA has announced that the 2026 World Cup will take place in Canada, Mexico and the United States.”

Citara’s trade mainly receives tourists — and especially Brazilians.

“I think that the victory of the Argentine team in the Cup will generate more tourism and will improve trade. I have no doubts. I am very excited”, he said, who sent photos of the house that the group rented in Doha and was decorated by them with posters of Maradona and Messi.

Travel in adverse economic conditions

To better understand how around 40,000 Argentines traveled to cheer for Argentina in Qatar, the report talked to travel agents, businessmen and economists.

After all, the Argentine economy should record around 90% inflation in 2022, second only to Venezuela in South America.

The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is slowing down and the poverty rate reaches 36.5% of the population of around 45 million inhabitants, according to official data.

Brazilian economist Gustavo Perego, from the Abeceb consulting firm in Buenos Aires, said that to understand the Argentine context, it is first necessary to understand that the country’s economy is “bi-monetary”.

That is, it works in pesos, the national currency, and in dollars. Those who can save US currency on the “mattress”, at home or abroad.

And they, who can be academics, medium or large businessmen and doctors, for example, are also not always considered rich.

“People from outside Argentina do not understand the concept of a bi-currency economy. They are used to living with the national currency, the local currency. In Argentina, it is different. The Central Bank has, on paper, US$ 40 billion (R $ 212.6 billion) of reserves, of which US$ 5 billion (R$ 26.5 billion), in net terms. But Argentines have more than US$ 300 billion abroad and in the ‘mattress’, outside the financial system (BRL 1.5 trillion)”, he said.

When an “opportunity” appears, such as traveling to watch the national team captained by Messi, savings in dollars are used.

An Argentine executive, who works in the consumer sector, said that, as the Argentine peso is devalued and “it has become very difficult to buy durable goods” such as an apartment, the “best option” is to spend savings “in good times”.

It could be traveling to the World Cup or paying tickets to see British band Coldplay, he said, who preferred to remain anonymous.

In November this year, the British band played ten sold-out shows at the River Plate stadium in Buenos Aires, despite ticket prices ranging from 9,500 pesos to 23,000 pesos.

In Argentina, the minimum wage is around 57,000 pesos — the equivalent of six cheapest tickets to the show.

“We are crazy about football and we love to travel, it’s part of our culture. And if the money we have is enough to travel and watch football, perfect”, said the executive.

Travel agents recalled that, due to the crisis, the government does not allow purchases of international tickets and payments for hotels abroad to be made in installments, as was possible until shortly before the coronavirus pandemic.

Argentineans awarded by companies and living abroad

Many Argentines also traveled to Qatar for the World Cup because companies bought packages to, for example, reward clients, as stated by Sebastian Christiansen, who works with the business sector.

“We had many cases of companies that bought packages to reward employees, customers or distributors of their business”, said Christiansen.

He recalled that, in the final stretch of the Cup, the airline Aerolíneas Argentinas increased the number of flights. International companies also offered more alternatives departing from Argentina and with lower prices than those offered at the beginning of the World Cup.

Businessman Nicolas Castro Bronstein, from the music business, also recalls that many of the 40,000 Argentines who visited stadiums in Qatar did not necessarily depart from Buenos Aires.

“Many fans said, when interviewed, that they live in Sydney, Miami and other cities abroad. For them, it must have been cheaper than leaving here in Buenos Aires”, says Brostein, who did not travel to the Qatar Cup .