VTuber retires from World Cup predictions after Essie Curse causes England loss
VTuber Essie has announced she is retiring from picking World Cup teams after her viral curse returned in the semifinals, causing England to lose to Argentina.
Essie, an independent VTuber who posts under @essie_ch, became a viral figure during the knockout stages after fans noticed that several teams she publicly supported were eliminated soon after. Brazil, Mexico, Portugal, the United States, and others all lost after receiving her backing, turning her jersey choices into a running joke across social media.
The streak appeared to be broken when Essie backed France in their quarterfinal against Morocco. France won 2-0, with Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele leading them into the semifinals.
However, the curse came roaring back when she supported France again against Spain, only for Didier Deschamps’ side to suffer a 2-0 semifinal defeat.
Twitch calls out Essie before England vs Argentina
Ahead of England’s semifinal against Argentina, the official Twitch UK & Ireland account joined in on the joke and tried to get Essie to back Lionel Messi’s side instead.
“This is a message to @essie_ch & essie alone,” the account posted. “Please back Argentina tonight they’d love your support.”
Essie did not follow the request. Instead, she posted herself in an England jersey, writing: “england….. england please…… please england…..”
England looked on course to survive after Anthony Gordon put them ahead in the second half, but Argentina staged another late comeback. Enzo Fernandez equalized in the 85th minute before Lautaro Martinez scored in stoppage time to seal a 2-1 win and send Argentina into the World Cup final against Spain.
Following the loss, Essie posted that “there will be no jersey worn” on Sunday, adding that she had to “put them down,” seemingly retiring from making any more World Cup picks before the final.
The decision means the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain may be free from Essie’s influence, unless she decides to make one last pick before the tournament ends.
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