Just for fun
The World Cup oracles
From Paul the Octopus to this year's crystal-ball crowd, every World Cup brings its own unscientific forecasters. Here they are — each with a link to its source — next to what our (no crystal ball) model actually says.
- Ritinha the shark chose Brazil (2026) — The AquaRio sandbar shark in Rio swam to the Brazil box over Morocco for the 2026 opener. Al Jazeera ↗
- Michael Bruno chose Portugal (2026) — A Brazilian psychic who called the 2010, 2014 and 2018 winners says Portugal lift their first trophy. UNILAD ↗
- Joachim Klement chose Netherlands (2026) — A German mathematician with the last three World Cup winners to his name backs the Netherlands. ESPN ↗
- Paul the Octopus chose Spain (2010) — The original oracle — a perfect 8 from 8 at the 2010 World Cup, the final included. Wikipedia ↗
- Achilles the Cat chose Russia (2018) — The Hermitage's deaf cat, official animal oracle of the 2018 World Cup, who called the hosts' opening-day win. Wikipedia ↗
The model, for the record (no crystal ball): Argentina are this year's most likely winners at 17%.
Hand-curated, last updated 2026-06-07. Spotted a fun oracle we missed? Tell us →