Here’s who AI picked to win the 2026 World Cup. It’s not who FIFA fans think

Artificial inteliigence is being touted as the most transformative technology of the 21st century—changing everything from how people work to how they live—but forget all that, what sports fans want to know is can it predict who is going to win the World Cup? According to a new Bank of America Global Research study “The Beautiful Game: Bof A’s World Cup 2026 Guide” shared with Fast Company, approximately 40% of FIFA fans they surveyed are betting on France’s Les Bleus, while AI, specifically Microsoft’s Copilot, thinks Spain’s La Roja, or “The Red One”, will take home the gold. “Our 2026 World Cup survey… suggests that France will lift the trophy in a final. Mbappé is expected to be top scorer and Lamine Yamal player of the tournament,” according to the BofA report emailed to Fast Company. “AI concurs, but adds Spain with equal probability to win the World Cup.” Only time will tell if humans, or AI, end up being right. “This tournament marks the transition of artificial intelligence from a support tool to a control layer,” the report added. “AI will analyze thousands of performance metrics in real time, power digital twins of stadiums, and orchestrate operations across three countries…Total data creation could top 2 exabytes [including] AI, simulations, streaming, and social platforms.” It also noted that this year’s World Cup will be “the biggest ever” with over 75% of the globe engaging with the tournament, with a boost of up to $41 billion to the global GDP, while supporting over 800,000 jobs, including some 185,000 in the U.S. alone. The 2026 FIFA World Cup, which kicks off in just about five weeks on June 11 (and runs through July 19), is set to feature 48 teams, playing over 100 matches, hosted for the first time by three countries in North America: Canada, Mexico and the U.S. Some 6.5 million fans, almost double the previous record, are expec