​Four more teams will head home after the World Cup quarter-finals, but which four will remain to contest the semi-finals? Chris Sutton, BBC Sport’s football expert, fared reasonably well with his last-16 predictions, with Switzerland’s penalty shootout win over Colombia the only result to trip him up. AI had a tougher time and was incorrect about Brazil’s defeat to Norway and the United States’ elimination at the hands of Belgium. For once, BBC’s predictor users did not gain bragging rights either; they managed only 6 out of 8 correct results. With 96 of this World Cup’s 104 matches now completed, they still lead overall scores. Chris and AI have both predicted correctly 61 times (64%), but the top spot goes to the users with 68 correct results (71%).
Will there be further surprises in the quarter-finals, which feature England against Norway and France versus Morocco? AI’s predictions were generated using Microsoft Copilot Chat. The tool was simply asked to “predict the results of the World Cup quarter-final ties.” The BBC predictor game, meanwhile, allows readers to pick a winner from each knockout tie.
PLAY WORLD CUP PREDICTOR HERE [BBC] Boston / 21:00 BST
This has been a World Cup full of surprises, but AI tends to go for the obvious, doesn’t it? It doesn’t have opinions or genuine insight—that’s why it was wrong about Brazil beating Norway in the previous round. I don’t rely on algorithms, which is why I got that tie right. Yet while I’m bold in my predictions, I’m not reckless—so I’m sticking with the favourites in this round. I’ve supported France to win the World Cup from the start, and I’m not about to reverse that stance now. Morocco are capable of beating them, but to do so they’ll need to deliver a 90-minute performance they have not yet managed in this tournament. They showed flashes of quality, yet against stronger teams they can fade if they start slowly, as they did against Canada in the last 16, looking rather lethargic for a long stretch. They are a powerful and skilful side, but Ismael Saibari’s injury is a blow, and it’s hard to see them hurting France without him upfront. We saw real resilience from France in their last game as they remained composed amid provocation, and their quality is well established. Desire Doue’s late substitution to make an impact also demonstrates their depth, and with Saibari out I am leaning toward France advancing.
Sutton’s prediction: 2-1
AI’s prediction: 2-1
AI’s response to Sutton’s claim that predictions aim for the obvious rather than surprises: The aim isn’t to be surprising, Chris. The aim is to be right.
BBC, Los Angeles / 20:00 BST
I thought Spain were off the pace in the final third in their last match, and I’ll be looking for better performance from them here.