Amadu Raheem Komba Gbandeh, a Sierra Leonean man known for his football prediction skills, has publicly released his forecasts for the Round of 32 matches in the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup. With a track record of correctly predicting 15 past football matches, Gbandeh took to Facebook on June 28 to share his detailed predictions for the knockout stage.
South Africa's Exit Correctly Foreseen
Gbandeh accurately predicted that South Africa would lose to Canada, though he had forecasted the loss would come in extra time, whereas Canada won in regular time. South Africa has since been eliminated from the tournament.
The Round of 32 matches continue on Monday, June 29, with Brazil facing Japan and Germany taking on Paraguay for spots in the Round of 16.
Full List of Predictions
In his Facebook post, Gbandeh predicted that Brazil, Germany, Morocco, Norway, France, Mexico, England, Senegal, USA, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Egypt, Argentina, and Colombia will win their respective Round of 32 matches. His detailed predictions for each match are as follows:
- Canada vs. South Africa: A 90-minute draw, with Canada winning in extra time. South Africa eliminated.
- Brazil vs. Japan: A tight contest with Brazil winning in regular time. Japan eliminated.
- Germany vs. Paraguay: A win for Germany in regular time. Paraguay knocked out.
- Netherlands vs. Morocco: A draw in 90 minutes and extra time, with Morocco winning on penalties. Netherlands eliminated.
- Ivory Coast vs. Norway: A difficult win for Norway in extra time. Ivory Coast eliminated.
- France vs. Sweden: A comfortable win for France in regular time. Sweden eliminated.
- Mexico vs. Ecuador: A draw in regulation time, with Mexico winning in extra time. Ecuador eliminated.
- England vs. DR Congo: A win for England in regular time with few goals. DRC eliminated.
- Belgium vs. Senegal: A match going to extra time, with Senegal winning on penalties. Belgium eliminated.
- USA vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina: A straight win for the USA in regular time. Bosnia eliminated.
- Spain vs. Austria: A tight match with Spain winning without conceding. Austria eliminated.
- Portugal vs. Croatia: Portugal wins in extra time due to squad depth. Croatia eliminated.
- Switzerland vs. Algeria: A straight win for Switzerland. Algeria eliminated.
- Australia vs. Egypt: A match going into extra time, with Egypt winning possibly on penalties. Australia eliminated.
- Argentina vs. Cabo Verde: A thumping win for Argentina in regular time. Cabo Verde eliminated.
- Colombia vs. Ghana: A draw in 90 minutes, with Colombia winning in extra time. Ghana eliminated.
Mixed Reactions Online
Gbandeh's predictions have drawn mixed reactions from social media users. Allen Nyoni commented, "The Netherlands. Can't eliminate Morocco," while Schabir Akeel Lefawana noted, "Very difficult stage. Highly tactical." Eze Aduku Obiosa said, "Is a good prediction. I will book the games as predicted, and will come back to say thank you after the games." Amaechi Mbanaso D'boss disagreed, stating, "Oga Morocco is coming home, the Netherlands will win this year's FIFA World Cup, mark my words."
Supercomputer Predictions
In related news, a supercomputer called Opta has also predicted the teams to win their Round of 32 matches. The expanded 48-team tournament has been reduced to 32 teams after an entertaining group stage. According to Opta's simulations, defending champions Argentina and England are among the strongest favourites to advance.
