Pro teams bond over Mate ritual

Valencia FC players bonding over Yerba Mate in the locker room.

For thousands of years, drinking Mate has been a shared experience. The Guaraní drank Mate in a circle of friends and families, around the fire. Later in the 18th and 19th centuries, teams of Gauchos driving cattle across the open plains of the Pampas also circled around the campfire to share Mate as well as stories of the day’s events.

19th century Gauchos around the camp fire

To perform at their best, modern sports teams equally need to bond around shared experiences, as well as common rituals and goals. For the Argentina national football team, that means bonding pre and post game around the Mate.

For their 2022 Football World Cup campaign in Qatar, the Argentina team carried with them 500kg of Yerba Mate for their 75 person contingent of players and staff members.