The 2026 FIFA World Cup is in its final stretch — just 14 days remain. The knockout stage is generating intense excitement, and predictions about the eventual champion are dominating football conversations.
According to data analysis platform Opta’s supercomputer, both Brazil and Argentina will advance to the quarterfinals. Brazil has a 67% probability of progressing past their round-of-16 match against Norway, which kicks off tonight at 2am Bangladesh time at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Argentina’s probability of reaching the last eight stands at 79%, with their match against Egypt in Atlanta the day after tomorrow.
The Opta supercomputer ran approximately 10,000 simulations to determine each team’s chances. It correctly predicted 14 of the 16 round-of-32 winners. It had given Morocco a 65.70% chance against Canada (Morocco won 3-0) and France an 86.68% chance against Paraguay (France won 1-0 through a Kylian Mbappe goal).
Brazil’s Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV) School of Applied Mathematics gives Spain a 15.57% chance of winning the tournament and Brazil 4.68%. However, a Brazilian statistician known as the ‘World Cup Seer’ disagrees, predicting Portugal will be champions — with Cristiano Ronaldo having said this is his last World Cup — and Spain as runners-up, with Brazil eliminated before the semifinals.
The round of 16 concludes on July 7 with Colombia-Switzerland in Vancouver. The quarterfinals run July 9-12, and the final is on July 19.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report