EA Sports FC has correctly predicted the World Cup winner for a fifth consecutive tournament, after Spain lifted the trophy in 2026. The result extends a prediction streak that started back in 2010.
Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in the final, with the winning goal coming from Ferran Torres during extra time. The win gives Spain its second World Cup title. The team last won the tournament in 2010, which was also the first time EA’s simulation called the winner correctly.
How EA Made the Prediction
A few days before the tournament kicked off, EA Sports FC posted on its official X account. The post read: “We’ve predicted four in a row. Now we’ve run the sim again. The next champion?” alongside the Spanish flag.
The prediction was not a guess. EA runs a full simulation of the tournament using player stats and data from the game itself. The process covers every match, starting with the group stage and running through to the final, to work out which team comes out on top.
A Streak Going Back to 2010
This is now the fifth World Cup in a row that EA Sports FC has predicted correctly. The full list of past predictions is:
- 2010: Spain
- 2014: Germany
- 2018: France
- 2022: Argentina
- 2026: Spain
Each of these picks was made before the tournament started, based purely on simulation data rather than results from the actual matches.
EA’s football simulation has now outperformed most public predictions for five tournaments running. The company has not offered a detailed explanation of exactly how many simulations it runs or how the model is built, but the results speak for themselves. With EA FC 27 expected to be announced soon, fans will be watching to see if the next simulation, four years from now, keeps the streak alive.
