Skip to main content

EA Sports Predicts Spain to Win the World Cup

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

Ryan Fleming
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…
Helldivers 2 just showed the highs and lows of live service in one chaotic weekend
A soldier in silhouette in Helldivers 2.

Helldivers 2 was on top of the world. Released in February to surprise acclaim, PlayStation and Arrowhead's co-op shooter quickly became the kind of success story that any gaming company would want to emulate. In a world of live service risks, this one was paying off thanks to a dedicated community whose commitment to democracy showed no signs of slowing down.

Then it all came crashing down in an instant.

Read more
The wait is over: Hades 2 is out now in early access on Steam
Hades 2 key art from its first trailer.

Hades 2 -- the highly anticipated sequel to a roguelike that Digital Trends considers to be one of the best games of all time -- is out now.

Developer Supergiant Games surprise released the game at 10 a.m. PT on Monday following a positively received Technical Test in April. It costs $30, a price that Supergiant Games says it "may raise" in the future depending on the scope of content added between now and Hades 2's full launch. As for how long that will take, the Steam page says that thegame will "be in Early Access development at least through the end of 2024." Supergiant Games isn't committing to a specific 1.0 launch date at this time.

Read more
Do you need a PSN account to play Helldivers 2?
A scene from Helldiver 2's opening cutscene.

Helldivers 2 has been a huge hit this yea,r with a consistent player base since its launch in February and a peak of over 450,000 players. Fighting for Super Earth, players have been waging war against monstrous insects and deadly robots and laying down their lives for democracy. But the game's reputation took a hit recently when it was announced that PC players would have to register for a PlayStation Network account to continue playing the game — a move that would have left players in parts of the world with no PSN support high and dry.

In  response, there was a major outcry (and review bombing of the game on Steam) in response, which led Sony and Arrowhead Game Studios to swiftly alter their policies to appease the player base. The entire ordeal has been a bit of a whirlwind, so it's OK if you're a little lost. Here's what you need to know.
Do you need a PSN account to play Helldivers 2?
No, you don't need a PSN account to play Helldivers 2 right now.

Read more