EA Sports shares their 2026 World Cup pick after correctly guessing the last four winners.
EA Sports has predicted who will win the 2026 World Cup, continuing their streak of correctly picking the last four champions. They make their predictions by simulating the entire tournament using their special World Cup mode in the game. This mode includes all the real teams, players, and the exact schedule of 104 matches.
In past World Cups, their simulations were spot on—Spain won in 2010, Germany in 2014, and France in 2018. Although their last two predictions have been a bit different since they stopped making a separate World Cup game, they now add any new features into their yearly game releases.
In 2022, EA guessed Argentina would win, and now they’ve shared their 2026 prediction: Spain will take the trophy for the first time in 16 years and only the second time ever. Spain’s team, led by Luis de la Fuente, is seen as one of the favorites after winning Euro 2024 by beating England 2-1. A big star to watch is Barcelona’s young talent Lamine Yamal, who had a breakthrough tournament and could be key for Spain in the World Cup.
Spain recently drew 1-1 with Iraq in a warm-up game and will play Peru next before the tournament starts. They’re in Group H with Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, and Uruguay. Since 32 of the 48 teams will move on to the knockout stage—sometimes three from the same group—Spain might only need three points to qualify, but they’ll be aiming for much more.
The 2026 World Cup kicks off on Thursday, June 11, with Mexico hosting South Africa in Mexico City. Canada and the United States, the other co-hosts, also start playing on Friday against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Paraguay. June 16 looks like an exciting day with matches featuring France, Norway, and the defending champions Argentina.
England begins their World Cup journey on June 17 against Croatia in Arlington, Texas. They’ll then face Ghana in Massachusetts and finish group play against Panama in New Jersey. That last game will be their first time playing at MetLife Stadium, which will also host the World Cup final on July 19.
The group stage will last just over two weeks, and the knockout rounds will start on June 28. It promises to be an exciting tournament!