A 1990s Simpsons episode might have predicted the 2018 World Cup final…
If so, it’s good news for Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Simpsons appears to have predicted many things, including the emergence of Donald Trump in the political sphere, but its greatest trick would surely be foretelling the World Cup final.
The potential prediction comes from a season nine episode called The Cartridge Family in which the Simpsons, and all of Springfield it seems, go to watch Mexico and Portugal play football.
“This match will determine once and for all which nation is the greatest on Earth. Mexico or Portugal?” says the announcer. Sounds like a final, right?
Furthermore, such a final is very much possible. Should Mexico secure first place in Group F, they would find themselves in the other half of the draw from Portugal, who finished runners-up in Group B.
Could it be that the 1997 episode of the long-running cartoon is right?
And if so, what else could the show help football fans predict? Has Marcus Rashford ever appeared in an episode? Has Harry Kane ever popped into the Kwik-E-Mart?
However, with the news that the 2026 World Cup will be hosted jointly by Canada, the USA and Mexico, there is a suggestion that as this match took place in Springfield, it might in fact predict the 2026 final.
Of course it’ll probably just be Spain v Germany in this year’s final, but where’s the whimsy in that?
