Lionel Messi has never lifted the World Cup trophy, but EA Sports foresees him and his country Argentina finally getting his chance next month.
The video game mogul released its simulation of the 2022 FIFA World Cup using “FIFA 23” on Tuesday with Argentina coming out on top. Messi and Co. claim the title in the simulation by beating their top rival, Brazil, in the final.
It may just be a video game simulation, but EA Sports has been spot-on with its predictions over the last three tournaments.
The company correctly predicted Spain to win it all in 2010, Germany as champs in 2014 and France’s triumph in 2018. While none of those victories were shocking, it bodes well for Argentina’s chances in Qatar.
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??❓ 2022EA SPORTS has got it right since 2010 ? See how the FIFA World Cup played out in the #FIFA23 simulation and have your say ? https://t.co/rQ24tEwrTg pic.twitter.com/EuiyhQnPQI
— EA SPORTS FIFA (@EASPORTSFIFA) November 8, 2022
EA Sports has Argentina and Poland making it out of Group C with Mexico and Saudi Arabia bowing out before the knockout stage. From there, Argentina is predicted to beat Denmark 2-1 in the round of 16, the Netherlands 1-0 in the quarterfinals and France 1-0 in the semifinals before toppling Brazil 1-0 in the final.
Argentina has not faced Brazil, the No. 1 team in FIFA’s latest world rankings, in a World Cup since 1990.