If the Football Manager 26 simulation of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is any indication, England fans face devastating news. The game's fully licensed tournament predicted a humiliating end for Thomas Tuchel's squad, alongside numerous shocks before the final.
France Triumph Over Colombia in Final
While the record books will show a third trophy for France should the simulation come to fruition, that only tells a tiny part of the story. Golden Boot winner Kylian Mbappe fired his nation to glory once more with 11 goals across the tournament, setting a new World Cup record with his exploits in the final. A 5-1 victory over underdogs Colombia secured the trophy for France, having embarrassed England by the same scoreline in their semi-final.
England's Journey Ends in Shame
After struggling in the group stage once more, England came to life in the knockout stage with big wins over DR Congo and Algeria. A 2-1 win over Belgium set up a crunch meeting with France, who would once again eliminate England from the World Cup. This time, Jude Bellingham gave England a dream start two minutes in, but it was all downhill from there as an Mbappe double helped the two-time champions to a third successive final.
After knocking out England in emphatic fashion, France made light work of Colombia in a second-half performance for the ages. After drawing 1-1 at half-time, Mbappe inspired his side to victory and secured his untouchable World Cup legacy by becoming the first player to score a hat-trick in two separate finals.
Group Stage Shocks
The group stage came laden with shocks, the most notable of which was Spain losing 3-1 to Cape Verde despite taking the lead. As a result, they ended up as runners-up in Group H, which was won by Uruguay, and the 500-1 minnows qualified for the knockouts with four points. Ghana shocked England and the rest of Group L by winning all three of their games, forcing England into second place. Tuchel's side beat third-placed Croatia 4-2 thanks to a Bellingham brace and squeezed past Panama 1-0 with a Harry Kane penalty.
As for the three co-hosts, Mexico finished bottom of Group A in another surprise while the USA and Canada were both unbeaten and qualified for the next round. Scotland also made their way into the knockout stage, beating Morocco 2-1 thanks to Scott McTominay's double and Haiti 4-0, but falling 1-0 to Group C winners Brazil.
Knockout Stage Drama
DR Congo finished second in Group K behind Portugal, who were eventually eliminated by Colombia in the semi-finals. There was also a 10-goal thriller in Group G, as Manchester City's Omar Marmoush scored five for Egypt in a 7-3 win over Iran. The knockouts were also filled with shocks, as South Korea sent Germany home in the second round with a 3-1 win. Sweden stunned Brazil on penalties, while Scotland beat the Netherlands 3-1 to make it to the last 16. However, that was where their tournament ended with a 1-0 loss to Switzerland.
The remaining hosts were both knocked out in the same round, as the US lost 3-2 to Belgium but Canada forced Portugal to extra time, eventually losing 2-1. The quarter-finals largely followed the script, although Portugal eliminated Spain with a 2-1 win. England and France qualified while Colombia stunned Sweden 5-1 to complete the final four, before France's dominance deep in the tournament completed a memorable World Cup.
Simulation Results
- Final: France 5 - 1 Colombia
- Third Place: Portugal
- Golden Boot: Kylian Mbappe (11 goals)
- Golden Glove: Mike Maignan, France (6 clean sheets)
- Player of the Tournament: Kylian Mbappe, France (Average rating of 8.76)
- Best Young Player: Antonio Nusa, Norway (Average rating of 7.90)
- England performance: Fourth place
- Scotland performance: Round of 16
