EA Sports Predicts Spain to Win the World Cup

By Ryan Fleming June 7, 2010

Image used with permission by copyright holder

It was a tense final, with five time World Cup champions Brazil looking for their sixth star, against the European champions, Spain. The action was fierce on both sides, and Brazil took an early lead on a goal from Felipe Marko. The Spaniards equalized with a shot from David Villa (his sixth of the tournament) to end the first. Then the second half belonged to Spain as their teamwork and stifling defense managed to frustrate the Brazilians. Villa scored his second in the 61st minute, while Andres Iniesta put in Spain’s 3rd,to lead the number two ranked team in the world overd the top ranked Brazilians in a memorable 3-1 final! Or at least according to the game 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa.

EA ran a simulation of the entire tournament, from the group stages through the finals, and Spain came out victorious. Each year, EA does a similar event for the Super Bowl, playing out the game and announcing the champion with eerily accurate results. In the seven years that the Madden franchise has run the simulation, it has predicted six correct champions, including this year’s New Orleans Saints, who were the Vegas underdogs going in.

The US begins its World Cup run this Saturday versus England, a game that EA predicts will favor England 2-1, although both teams are predicted to advance to the knock out stage where the US will lose to Germany in a shoot out. The semi-finals will see Brazil take out the English in a penalty shootout, while Spain knocks off Argentina. England then goes on to win third place with a 2-1 victory over rival Argentina.

The game also predicted that Spain’s David Villa would win the Golden Boot with 7 goals, and Brazil’s Kaka would be the Golden Ball winner.

It should be noted that in 2006, EA predicted the Czech Republic to win the Cup in a 2-1 victory over Brazil. Unfortunately, the Czech Republic failed to make it out of the first round.

Editors' Recommendations

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…

Gaming

VR headset deals: Meta Quest 2 and VIVE XR

htc vive vs pro headphones

While VR may not be as big as was predicted back in the early 2000s when the original Oculus Go was released, there is still a considerable market these days, and some great VR games like Half-Life: Alyx that you can have fun with. Of course, VR headsets remain expensive, and while options like the Meta Quest don't necessarily require a high-end gaming PC, they can still be a bit pricey for those who just want to put a foot in the hobby. Luckily, there are some good deals you can take advantage of, even on some of the best VR headsets, so be sure to check out all your options below.
Meta Quest 2 -- $199, was $200

Even though the Meta Quest 3 came out quite recently, the Meta Quest 2 is still a pretty powerful contender, especially since it has a wider library and app support than the Quest 3 currently has. Even more so, the Quest 2 is a lot cheaper than the Quest 3, and with the latest permanent discount down to just $200, that's a whole $300 or so difference from the Quest 3. Of course, the Quest 3 does have more advanced AR and slightly better performance with software and Wi-Fi, but that may not be worth the extra cost for some. Either way, be sure to check out the breakdown between Quest 2 and Quest 3 to get a better sense of what you should pick up.

Gaming

BlizzCon 2024 is not happening despite Blizzard’s strong 2024 lineup

A still from World of Warcraft The Worldsoul Saga's reveal tralier.

World of Warcraft, Diablo, and Overwatch maker Blizzard Entertainment confirmed that BlizzCon 2024 will not be happening.

BlizzCon was a convention that Blizzard Entertainment held almost every year between 2005 and 2019 to celebrate its games and make new announcements. The pandemic and hostile workplace allegations against Blizzard meant that no shows were held in 2020 or 2022 (2021 was digital-only), but BlizzCon made its grand return in 2023. We attended it last November and had the opportunity to speak with developers and learn more about Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer's first visit to Blizzard, upcoming plans for franchises like Diablo and Warcraft, and more. Although Blizzard never outright confirmed that it would hold BlizzCon in 2024, the event was expected to continue after its return last year.

Gaming

How to unlock fast travel in Another Crab’s Treasure

Kril with a coconut shell

Another Crab's Treasure is a fantastical soulslike set deep under the ocean where danger lurks around every corner. And like other games in the genre, it's often brutally difficult to overcome the various challenges you'll encounter. As such, you may find yourself wanting to backtrack for level grinding, to uncover new secrets, or to buy additional items in the game's main hub. However, you may notice early in the game that you haven't yet unlocked the ability to fast travel between the multitude of Moon Snail Shells (aka "bonfires") you've found. Here's how and when you'll unlock fast travel.
How to unlock fast travel
In the opening hours of the game, you may notice that you can access your skill tree, which will show a skill called Shelleportation. But you may be discouraged to see that you aren't able to apply any points to it yet. That's because the game doesn't open up this feature until you've advanced a few hours into the story.

To unlock fast travel, you'll need to work your way through the first few main areas of the game until you reach a boss called the Polluted Platoon Pathfinder. After beating this baddie, you'll soon find yourself teleporting to the Moon Snail's Domain. Here, you'll learn about the power of Umami, as well as unlock access to your skill tree.