The Artificial Intelligence predictions about the winner of the FIFA World Cup 2026 proved false, disappointing those who heavily trusted the AI in future decision making. The AI predictions placed France on the top position as the potential winner of the World Cup, but France lost its semi-final match against England.
Al-Jazeera applied nine AI models to predict the FIFA champion in 2026. As the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup enters its final stages, nine leading artificial intelligence models have predicted the tournament’s final standings using team strength, squad quality, coaching, historical records, and current performances. Although opinions differ, France emerged as the overall favourite to win the title.
France and Argentina dominate title predictions
Five of the nine AI models predicted France would lift the World Cup trophy and it proved false as France lost its semi-final to England. Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Le Chat, and Qwen backed the French team to become champions. Meanwhile, ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, and Meta AI selected defending champions Argentina to retain the title.
Furthermore, predictions for the runner-up position showed less agreement. France and Argentina each received three votes to finish second. England earned two runner-up predictions, while Spain received one. The results highlight how different AI systems evaluate recent form, squad depth, and tournament momentum.
Spain favored for third place
Spain emerged as the strongest favourite to secure third place and this prediction also proved wrong. Spain is facing Argentina in the final match of the World Cup. Six of the nine AI models predicted the European side would finish on the final podium. England received two third-place votes, while France collected one.
The predictions come as the World Cup reaches the semifinal stage. France face Spain in one semifinal, while England meet Argentina in the other. Afterward, the losing teams will compete in the third-place playoff on July 18. The tournament will conclude with the World Cup final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Despite different forecasts, all AI models identified France, Argentina, Spain, and England as the tournament’s four strongest remaining contenders.
