EA Sports has an impressive history when it comes to forecasting the champion of the FIFA World Cup.
While their predictions aren’t infallible, the company has performed countless simulations using their game, successfully identifying the winners of the last four World Cups: Spain in 2010, Germany in 2014, France in 2018, and Argentina in 2022. Furthermore, they accurately predicted Lionel Messi as the Golden Ball award winner last time around.
Can EA replicate this accuracy this summer? They’ve certainly made an effort. With their latest FC 26 World Cup game, they have conducted hundreds of simulations for this summer’s tournament, hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and they’ve now revealed the most frequently occurring outcomes.
Among the standout players is undoubtedly Yamal, who is anticipated to have a remarkable World Cup debut with Spain this summer. EA predicts he will emerge as the tournament’s top scorer with *** INSERT GOAL NUMBER *** goals.
In a surprising twist, EA’s simulations suggest that Anderson will lead the tournament in assists, recording ***INSERT NUMBER***. Despite having only four assists in 38 Premier League matches last season, this could be a breakthrough opportunity for his attacking abilities.
What about the USMNT?
For head coach Mauricio Pochettino, achieving the United States’ best-ever World Cup performance (their semifinal finish in 1930) will be no small feat, and EA’s simulations reflect this challenge.
The USMNT most commonly fell during the round of 16, mirroring their exit from the last World Cup after a 3-1 defeat to the Netherlands. However, they also made it to the quarterfinals in several simulations, with Malik Tillman emerging as the team’s likely top scorer ahead of Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun.
Both Pulisic and Tillman made it onto the list of top assist providers, but Balogun ultimately took the lead. In terms of discipline, captain Tim Ream and defender Sergiño Dest received the most yellow cards, while somewhat unexpectedly, forward Brenden Aaronson was projected to be the sole recipient of a red card throughout all simulated tournaments.
And the projected champion is… Spain
According to EA’s simulations, Spain is favored to win this year’s World Cup.
Spain has a history of success, having secured their first World Cup title in 2010 after winning Euro 2008. With their recent triumph in Euro 2024, can they repeat that success?
EA’s analysis indicates that Yamal is predicted to be their top scorer, while Pedri is expected to provide the most assists (four).