The World Cup is upon us - and we used two football gaming giants to predict the tournament. Football Manager may be renowned for its realism but threw up far more shocks that EA Sports FC 2616:23, 11 Jun 2026The final warm-up matches are over, the squads are finalised and the stage is set - it's time, at last, for the 2026 World Cup.‌Fans are eagerly anticipating the month-long football festival, which kicks off in North America today (Thursday, June 11). Co-hosts Mexico open the tournament against South Africa this evening and what follows will be unlike any tournament that's come before.‌With a huge new 48-team format that's welcomed a number of first-time competitors, this year's edition of the World Cup is harder to predict than ever. So we locked ourselves in a room and used the world's two leading football videogames to see how the action might unfold.‌Both games boast in-depth scouting networks to help inform the outcomes, but EA Sports' FC series is better known for its arcade fun than reflecting real life. Conversely, Football Manager has forged a reputation for realism over decades of editions.However, the two simulations seemed to throw those pre-conceptions out the window. Here's what happened in our two simulations of the 2026 World Cup.Who will win the 2026 World Cup?‌In our EA FC 26 simulation, Cristiano Ronaldo finally gets his hands on the biggest prize in international football. Portugal beat surprise finalists Austria on penalties 3-2 after an uneventful showcase in New Jersey.However, in the Football Manager sim, Ronaldo's side were nowhere near the trophy. Instead, a Kylian Mbappe-led France triumphed in their third World Cup final in as many years - thumping another surprise package in Colombia 5-1.How did England get on in the simulations?‌The answer to this question is grim for different reasons. In EA FC 26, England were embarrassingly knocked out in the Second Round by Colombia, losing 3-0.Luis Diaz scored a brace before Luis Suarez - not that one - killed the game with a late penalty. It followed a disappointing Group Stage peformance by the Three Lions, who drew 3-3 with Ghana despite leading 3-0 with 15 minutes left, and endured a goalless opening fixture against Croatia.Matters weren't much better in FM26. England had a stuttering experience in the groups, winning the opener 4-2 before losing 1-0 to Ghana, who went on to top Group L with three wins from three.‌They squeaked past Panama courtesy of a Harry Kane penalty, before coming to life in the knockouts. Demolitions of DR Congo and Algeria, with 7-0 and 5-0 wins respectively, set up a quarter-final tie with Belgium.The Three Lions won that encounter 2-1, but came up against eventual champions France in a humbling semi-final. Mbappe's men ran out 5-1 winners despite Jude Bellingham's second-minute opener.What about Scotland's first tournament since 1998?‌EA FC 26's sim saw Scotland handed an embarrassing result in their first World Cup game in nearly 30 years. The Tartan Army were forced to watch their side stoop to a shock 2-0 defeat to Haiti in Group C.They failed to recover, ending up eliminated after losing 2-0 to Brazil and drawing 0-0 with Morocco. A truly awful return to the World Cup for Scotland.However, it was significantly better for the Scots on FM26. Two first-half goals each from Che Adams and Ryan Christie gave them a 4-0 win over Haiti, and they defeated Morocco 2-1 before losing 1-0 to Brazil.‌The best moment came in the knockouts as Scotland eliminated the Netherlands with a 3-1 win in the Second Round thanks to Adams, John McGinn and a Nathan Ake own goal. The run ended in the last 16, however, as Scotland lost 1-0 to Switzerland.What was the tournament's biggest shock?It would be easy to point to England's humilation in both simulations as the biggest shock of the tournament. That was certainly the case in EA FC 26, as Austria's surprise run to the final comes a close second while Algeria knocked out Spain on penalties in the Second Round.However, our Football Manager sim has forsaken its reputation for realism and threw unadulterated chaos our way instead. Not only were England stunned in the semis by France, but pre-tournament favourites Spain suffered a truly generational 3-1 upset at the hands of Cape Verde in the group games.‌While that result led to an unlikely qualification to the knockouts for Cape Verde, it wasn't the only surprise. Co-hosts Mexico finished bottom of Group A and, as mentioned, Ghana topped Group L with nine points.South Korea then dumped out Germany with a 3-1 win in the Second Round, while Sweden eliminated Brazil on penalties at the same stage. Argentina also didn't get any further, having lost to quarter-finalists Spain 1-0.Who was the World Cup's best player?‌In EA FC 26, that honour went to Cristiano Ronaldo - whose five goals helped Portugal claim the famous trophy. He averaged an overall rating of 8.1 per game and cemented his place as one of the world's all-time greats.However, there could be no other player in the FM26 sim than Mbappe for this award. As well as claiming the Golden Boot - won by Uruguay forward Darwin Nunez in the EA FC 26 sim - Mbappe averaged a rating of 8.76 per game during his 11-goal run.The Real Madrid forward also set a new record in World Cup history - becoming the first player to score a hat-trick in two separate finals.‌Football Manager also doled out an award for the best young player. This was handed to Antonio Nusa of Norway, who recorded an average rating of 7.90 with three assists across five games.How did the host nations perform?None of the hosts made it past the Round of 16 in either sim. Mexico failed to advance from their group in EA FC 26, while Canada and the US were both eliminated in the Second Round.‌The US put in a creditable performance in the knockout round, having lost 3-2 to Germany, while Canada were dumped out by Korea in a 3-1 defeat. Things were slightly better in FM26.As mentioned, it was also a nightmare tournament for Mexico in Football Manager's sim. El Tricolor failed to win a single game, drawing twice and finishing dead last in Group A.However, Canada beat Austria on penalties before forcing Portugal to extra time in the Round of 16, where they lost 2-1 after 120 minutes of gruelling football. The USA almost made it into the last eight, having lost 3-2 to Belgium following a 1-0 win over Japan.Article continues belowWho makes the World Cup Best XI from each simulation?EA FC 26: Mike Maignan (France); Stefan Posch (Austria), Ruben Dias (Portugal), David Alaba (Austria), Josko Gvardiol (Croatia); Bruno Fernandes (Portugal), Marcel Sabitzer (Austria), Federico Valverde (Uruguay); Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Darwin Nunez (Uruguay), Kylian Mbappe (France).FM26: Mike Maignan; Jules Kounde, Lucas Hernandez, Dayot Upamecano, Theo Hernandez (all France); Anthony Elanga (Sweden), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium), Jude Bellingham (England), Kylian Mbappe (France); Omar Marmoush (Egypt), Ousmane Dembele (France).