Rumours are currently racing across social media platforms claiming that American cartoon The Simpsons 'predicted' which nations will compete in this year's football tournament final – with Mexico amongst them. With the England football team gearing up to play them in their Round 16 knockout match, many people are keen to find out if this is true.
The Origin of the Claim
The speculation stems from a genuine scene in a 1997 episode called "The Cartridge Family" (Season 9, Episode 5). The episode simply shows a television advertisement promoting a dull, tedious football match to establish "which nation is the greatest on Earth". Images from the episode depict Mexico vs. Portugal battling it out, though the programme never references the year 2026, the FIFA World Cup. Certain posts also include Cristiano Ronaldo, despite him never being referenced in the show.
What Actually Happens in the Episode
Contrary to the viral suggestions of a triumphant outcome, the match featured in the episode is excruciatingly sluggish and boring, eventually prompting the Springfield audience to riot and plunge the stadium into utter chaos.
This supposed prediction isn't fresh news. Online users regularly dust off this identical clip of Mexico vs. Portugal and declare it a "prophecy" whenever a significant tournament approaches.
Fact-Checkers Have Debunked It Before
Fact-checkers have already dismissed the same claim making the rounds during both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. It has picked up extra traction for 2026 purely because Mexico happens to be one of the hosting countries.
While the claim mentioned above proved inaccurate, The Simpsons has astonishingly forecast numerous real-life occurrences, spanning major political shifts and business mergers to tech breakthroughs and pop culture moments. This includes Donald Trump's presidency and Disney Buying 21st Century Fox.
Why The Simpsons Seems Prophetic
Although the show has gained notoriety for its seemingly prophetic abilities, the writers attribute this to sharp social observation, a team of mathematically-minded scribes, and basic probability given the programme's extensive run of over 750 episodes.
