Joachim Klement, the German mathematician who gained international recognition after predicting the champions of the World Cups in 2014, 2018, and 2022, was unable to replicate the accuracy of his statistical models in the 2026 edition of the World Cup.
The specialist, known for combining sports, economic, social, and environmental variables to make his projections, had pointed to the Netherlands as the main candidate for the title. However, the Dutch team was eliminated in the round of 16 after losing to Morocco in the penalty shootout, following a 1-1 draw during regulation time.
The early exit of the European team quickly nullified the scientist's main prediction, who had gained some prestige for consecutively predicting Germany's titles in Brazil 2014, France in Russia 2018, and Argentina in Qatar 2022.
