EA Sports predicts 2026 FIFA World Cup will go to Spain

• EA Sports is back with another prediction about the winner of the 2026 FIFA World Cup
• The video game maker has predicted that Spain is due for another win in 2026
• EA Sports went further to analyze top scorers and predicted that the USMNT might make it to the quarterfinals

Video game maker EA Sports has been known for its sports game franchises, bringing real-world sports action into the digital domain.

The driving force behind the hugely successful FIFA video games series, which was rechristened to EA Sports FC in the wake of a licensing break-up between the company and FIFA, has now been on a roll, getting the right outcome of the last four World Cups.

Do four right predictions means the fifth one will pan out as well?

The question is: can it do it again? Since 2010, the company has been correctly predicting the winner of the World Cup, with EA Sports correctly determining in that year that Spain would win by running simulations.

In 2014, the company also correctly predicted that Germany would win, as it did in 2018 (France) and 2022 (Argentina). Naturally, these predictions ought to be taken with a grain of salt, as they are based on the company’s own simulations, although EA Sports has been meticulous about accurately representing athletes in its games.

So much so that, anecdotally, players have been calling the company to ask to have their stats enhanced in the game in certain editions if they were not satisfied with what they saw.

The prediction that Spain would win is based on hundreds of simulations, with Lamine Yamal for the Spanish team tipped to be the top scorer during the upcoming tournament that is due to get underway soon.

EA Sports has also made a few other predictions along the way, arguing that Elliot Anderson for England will be the top assist provider, and yes, the simulations did pay attention to the hosts, specifically the USMNT, which has struggled to win a World Cup.

Does the USMNT have a shot in 2026 FIFA World Cup?

According to the company, the USMNT is usually out in the Round of 16, but not all simulations run the same. The United States may actually make the quarterfinals, as the simulations offered enough of these scenarios to make them plausible.

The team’s top scorer is projected to be attacker Mail Tillman, followed closely by FolarinBalogun and Christian Pulisic. EA Sports also delved into how likely specific players are to get cards - with Brenden Aaronson listed as the only player on the USMNT team to possibly get a red card.

Tim Ream, the team’s captain, and defender Sergiño Dest are also likely to get yellow cards, the simulations predict. While Spain is tipped to win, Argentina would most certainly be looking to put its name alongside the countries to have won back-to-back events, following the country’s win in 2022.

Placing an early wager on Spain could be a fun thing to do, especially if you feel EA Sports’ previous predictions were justified and not just a stap in the dark.

Image credit: EA Sports