An image of the Baby Jesus dressed in the Mexican national team's shirt is displayed in the Metropolitan Cathedral, where fans visit and pray for the national team to advance in the 2026 World Cup. REUTERS/Quetzalli Nicte-Ha Thousands of fans have visited Mexico City's Metropolitan Cathedral to pray in front of an image of the Baby Jesus dressed in the Mexican national team's uniform. The objective is one: ask for a "miracle" and help Mexico win the 2026 World Cup. 📱Bookmark g1 on Google and follow the main news of the day The tradition has existed since 1970, the year in which the country hosted the World Cup for the first time, but it gained a new dimension in this edition of the tournament. For the first time, an image of the so-called "Baby Jesus of football" was placed in the country's main cathedral, attracting even more visitors. In Mexico, it is common to dress images of the Baby Jesus in different outfits. Some are characterized as pilgrims, to protect travelers, while others are given doctors' clothes, as a symbol of health-related requests. The football version emerged 55 years ago in the San Miguel Arcángel church, located in a popular area of ​​the Mexican capital. This year, however, the new parish priest banned the practice as he considered it disrespectful. The decision provoked outrage among the faithful and even concern among some fans, who feared that the change could bring bad luck to the Mexican team. Now on g1 An image of the Baby Jesus dressed in the Mexican national team's shirt is displayed in the Metropolitan Cathedral, where fans visit and pray for the national team to advance in the 2026 World Cup. REUTERS/Quetzalli Nicte-Ha Faced with the repercussion, the Metropolitan Cathedral decided to display an image of the Baby Jesus dressed in the "El Tri" shirt, the nickname of the Mexican team. "It's the first time he's been here in the cathedral. It was the people who asked for it," Canon Manuel Corral told Reuters. According to the religious man, the requests are not limited to Mexican fans. "Today, for example, we received Colombians praying and asking for their team to win," he said on Tuesday (16), the day before the match between Colombia and Uzbekistan. The image will remain on display in different spaces of the cathedral until the end of the World Cup, regardless of Mexico's performance in the tournament, and will continue to wear one of the team's official uniforms. On Tuesday, Baby Jesus wore a white shirt and green shorts, similar to the uniform that Mexico will wear in this Thursday's match, in Guadalajara, against South Korea. Fans from Argentina, Colombia, Spain, Mexico and other countries took advantage of the visit to take photos and make requests for victory for their respective teams. Not everyone, however, approved the initiative. "As a Catholic, it's very strange to see Baby Jesus dressed like that. I don't really agree with it," said Eleazar Martínez, a Mexican fan who visited the cathedral just before noon. An image of the Baby Jesus dressed in the Mexican national team's shirt is displayed in the Metropolitan Cathedral, where fans visit and pray for the national team to advance in the 2026 World Cup. REUTERS/Quetzalli Nicte-Ha