[FM24] World Cup Prospector

Certainly is @Dan - nice to see you back in here.

Thanks both! …and I second that.

The 2038 FIFA World Cup Preview:

Hosts: South Africa

Holders: England (2034, Japan)

Random # (1-7): 1 = England (already managed, 2026 - double checked, I hope, this time!🙃) | 2 = Argentina (replacing Marcelo Gallardo)

Last World Cup Win: 2026 (4th)

Qualifying: 1st in CONMEBOL. Won 13/18, GF 35, GA 12, 40pts. In a group with Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Uruguay, Ecuador, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Venezuela.

Most Goals: 8 - Marcos Musiari (Manchester City, newgen)

Most Assists: 5 - Gianluca Prestianni (Inter Milan), Marcos Musiari (Manchester City, newgen)

Average Rating: 7.35 - Marcos Musiari (Manchester City, newgen)

Pre-Tournament Friendlies: 1-1 draw away to England, 3-1 win at home to Morocco

Finals: Group K with Croatia (26th), Libya (84th) and Saudi Arabia (17th).

Fixtures: Libya  > Croatia > Saudi Arabia

Squad:

Rest of the tournament:

Group A: Austria, Honduras, South Africa, South Korea

Group B: Belgium, Chile, Costa Rica, Morocco

Group C: Colombia, England, Ghana, Switzerland

Group D: France, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Wales

Group E: Brazil, China, Egypt, Scotland

Group F: Canada, Ecuador, Nigeria, Spain

Group G: Iraq, Netherlands, Suriname, Sweden

Group H: Australia, Germany, New Zealand, Senegal

Group I: Italy, Japan, Serbia, Zambia

Group J: Cote d'Ivoire, Mexico, Paraguay, Portugal

Group L: Czechia, Syria, United States, Uruguay

Let's see what South Africa 2038 has to offer!

The 2038 FIFA World Cup is here!

Matchday 1:

Group A: South Africa 1-0 Austria, Honduras 0-3 South Korea

Group B: Costa Rica 1-4 Belgium, Chile 1-1 Morocco

Group C: Switzerland 2-6 England, Ghana 0-3 Colombia

Group D: Wales 5-0 Tunisia, United Arab Emirates 0-0 France

Group E: Scotland 5-0 China, Egypt 2-0 Brazil

Group F: Ecuador 2-1 Nigeria, Canada 0-6 Spain

Group G: Iraq 2-7 Sweden, Netherlands 3-0 Suriname

Group H: Germany 1-1 Australia, New Zealand 5-0 Senegal

Group I: Italy 2-1 Japan, Zambia 0-3 Serbia

Group J: Paraguay 4-2 Cote d'Ivoire, Mexico 0-1 Portugal

Group K… 

Croatia 0-0 Saudi Arabia

Libya 0-2 Argentina

Group L: United States 0-2 Czechia, Uruguay 0-1 Syria 

More goals would've been welcome for Lionel Batistuta's team, but a dominant enough start against our friends from Libya. There was also the added bonus of Croatia and Saudi Arabia drawing.

The 2038 FIFA World Cup continues!

Matchday 2:

Group A: Austria 1-0 Honduras, South Africa 3-3 South Korea

Group B: Morocco 1-0 Costa Rica, Belgium 0-1 Chile

Group C: Colombia 1-2 Switzerland, England 6-1 Ghana

Group D: France 2-2 Wales, Tunisia 2-1 United Arab Emirates

Group E: Brazil 1-2 Scotland (great result for Nathan Jones' Scots), China 1-1 Egypt

Group F: Spain 3-1 Ecuador, Nigeria 1-1 Canada

Group G: Suriname 1-0 Iraq (history for Suriname!), Sweden 0-2 Netherlands

Group H: Australia 1-1 New Zealand (a Trans-Tasman battle at the World Cup, you love to see it), Senegal 1-4 Germany

Group I: Japan 1-0 Zambia, Serbia 1-0 Italy

Group J: Cote d'Ivoire 2-1 Mexico, Portugal 2-0 Paraguay

Group K… 

Argentina 3-1 Croatia

Saudi Arabia 4-1 Libya

Group L: Czechia 1-1 Uruguay, Syria 0-0 United States (👀)

Ruud van Nistelrooy's Croatia put up a good fight, but a comeback win was secured for four-time champs Argentina. That, as well as Saudi Arabia's win over Libya, sends La Albiceleste into the knockouts; albeit with top spot still left to fight for on Matchday 3.

The 2038 FIFA World Cup group stage concludes!

Matchday 3:

Group A: Austria 1-1 South Korea, South Africa 4-0 Honduras

Group B: Belgium 1-1 Morocco, Costa Rica 1-2 Chile

Group C: Colombia 1-1 England, Ghana 1-3 Switzerland

Group D: France 2-2 Tunisia (The French are out! Bottom of the group too), United Arab Emirates 2-1 Wales

Group E: Brazil 3-1 China, Egypt 1-1 Scotland

Group F: Canada 1-0 Ecuador, Spain 5-0 Nigeria

Group G: Iraq 0-5 Netherlands, Sweden 5-1 Suriname

Group H: Australia 0-3 Senegal, Germany 4-0 New Zealand

Group I: Serbia 0-0 Japan, Zambia 3-2 Italy

Group J: Mexico 1-0 Paraguay, Portugal 1-0 Cote d'Ivoire

Group K… 

Argentina 1-0 Saudi Arabia

Libya 1-5 Croatia

Group L: Czechia 2-0 Syria, United States 1-1 Uruguay

Eliminated: Honduras (A), Costa Rica (B), Ghana (C), France (D), China (E), Ecuador, Nigeria (both F), Suriname, Iraq (both G), Senegal, Australia (both H), Zambia (I), Cote d'Ivoire (J), Libya (K), Uruguay, United States (both L).

No repeat of 2022 (though hopefully the subsequent events in Qatar do repeat) as Argentina beat Saudi Arabia, which means top spot is secured. On the way in the first knockout stage is Tunisia, with Belgium (reunion pending) or Serbia to come for the winner.

Rest of the Round of 32 draw:

South Africa vs. Switzerland

Egypt vs. United Arab Emirates

Brazil vs. Chile

Italy vs. Spain

South Korea vs. Morocco

England vs. Paraguay

Saudi Arabia vs. Scotland

Wales vs. Canada

Japan vs. Netherlands

Mexico vs. Croatia

Germany vs. Austria

Czechia vs. Colombia

New Zealand vs. Sweden

Belgium vs. Serbia

Portugal vs. Syria

The 2038 FIFA World Cup reaches the knockout stages!

Argentina are safely through into the round of sixteen. The scoreline somewhat flattered Tunisia, who managed to keep the score tight.

It is indeed a reunion with Belgium in the next stage. Can I beat the nation I led to a World Cup final (defeat) in 2030? I bloody hope so! About time I won one, in truth. Tick tock!

The hosts keep on progressing - South Africa beat Switzerland. Brazil are eliminated, as they suffer an unexpected loss to Chile. Spain take out Italy, elsewhere.

That's how the R16 is set. England vs. Scotland catches the eye, to me anyway.

Up La Selección!

The 2038 FIFA World Cup reaches the Round of 16!

Welp. That's an underachievement, no two ways about it. Lionel Batistuta's Argentina are knocked out in the round of sixteen by familiar Belgium!

No surprises elsewhere. The hosts, South Africa, finally depart the competition, they only narrowly lost out to Spain mind you.

Into the quarter-finals…

Spain meet England in a titanic clash, Germany vs. Portugal too. Away from the big nations, Wales and Belgium play Chile and the Netherlands as they go in search of a second World Cup final appearance since 2026. So… who would win?

Spain eliminate England! The top two teams in the pre-tournament rankings (ENG + ARG) are both out before the semis. Wales and Belgium's quests continue, while Germany ease past Portugal with a 4-1 win.

In the semi-finals, Spain play Germany as Wales meet Belgium.

The 2038 World Cup final in South Africa will be between Germany and Wales! The Germans edged out Spain (who'd place third), as The Welsh beat Belgium on penalties.

Here's the big one:

Germany are FIFA World Cup winners! Steffen Baumgart leads his nation to a first title since 2014 in Brazil. Wales suffer a second consecutive final defeat, having received a red card again in the final - just like in 2034 vs. England.

Moving swiftly on to 2042…

15 years into the save, no better time than now to do a quick recap for what's been going on away from the FIFA World Cups.

In the Premier League, North London dominated the first ten seasons, with Arsenal winning the opening five out of seven titles before Tottenham Hotspur won three on the bounce. Manchester City have won it just three times, placing as runners-up eight times in total. In recent campaigns, Liverpool have won the most. My team Manchester United have finished inside the top three on just three occasions.

In France, there isn't much surprise as Paris Saint-Germain have won all but two Ligue 1 titles. Those two anamolies did occur back-to-back though, when Monaco claimed trophies in 2033-34 and 2034-35. The most eye-catching part of the past winners screen is the prescence of Grenoble, who placed as runners-ups twice and in third once across the last three seasons; having been promoted in 2028-29.

Over in Germany, which I apparently forgot (not that it matters) to load(?), has been the most ‘boring’ of them all. Bayern Munich have won every edition since 2023-24, with Borussia Dortmund coming second in all but one season - 2032-33, when Eintracht Frankfurt broke the mold.

Italy has seen a new dominant force emerge: Roma! They, admittedly, didn't get in the top two until 2030-31, but have since done so in each of the last eight seasons; winning the title six times! Juventus have got in the top two for ten years.

Spain has seen Barcelona and Real Madrid dominate. Barça won the opener, prior to Madrid claiming seven titles on the bounce. They've shared 'em equally across the last number of seasons. Atlético Madrid are the closest challengers. The one somewhat odd season was 2034-35, when Barça finished fourth randomly; behind Sevilla.

In the UEFA Champions League, it's Manchester City who have won it the most - five times, in fact. Manchester United, bizarrely, won it twice! Liverpool have added four more, while Napoli and Bayern Munich are the only non-English teams to gain success.

Across UEFA's Europa and Conference leagues, the English continue to dominate. Beşiktaş are the most interesting UEL winners, with Brøndby, Utrecht and Grenoble (them again) claiming triumph in the UECL; Paris FC, Lorient and Aris notably getting to finals in the latter.

Manchester City have won the last two FIFA Club World Cups, with Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund winning one each. Saudi Arabia's Ittihad interestingly won the first of the save.

On a player basis, Bukayo Saka was - per the Ballon d'Or - the best around across the opening chunk of the save, with Lamine Yamal largely taking over since. Danton, who I coached at the World Cup in 2034 with Brazil, is the most recent champ.

Maybe ill make a proper return for fm26 👀

The 2042 FIFA World Cup Preview:

Hosts: Spain

Holders: Germany (2038, South Africa)

Random # (1-7): 5 = Netherlands (replacing Jon Dahl Tomasson)

Last World Cup Win: n/a

Qualifying: 1st in UEFA Group I. Won 6/8, GF 14, GA 2, 20pts. In a group with Greece, Switzerland, Armenia and Belarus.

Most Goals: 5 - Ralph Manders (Al-Hilal, newgen)

Most Assists: n/a - no-one with 3+

Average Rating: 7.63 - Joey Lemmens (Manchester United, newgen)

Pre-Tournament Friendlies: 4-1 win at home to Cote d'Ivoire

Finals: Group G with Honduras (72nd), Senegal (18th) and the United Arab Emirates (29th).

Fixtures: Honduras > Senegal > United Arab Emirates

Squad:

Rest of the tournament:

Group A: Czechia, Paraguay, South Korea, Spain

Group B: Cameroon, El Salvador, England, Japan

Group C: Guatemala, Italy, Mali, Saudi Arabia

Group D: Canada, Chile, Scotland, Serbia

Group E: Algeria, Argentina, Iraq, Türkiye

Group F: Australia, Brazil, Egypt, Slovakia

Group H: Belgium, New Zealand, Nigeria, United States

Group I: Germany, Cote d'Ivoire, Qatar, Uruguay

Group J: Jamaica, Morocco, Norway, Portugal

Group K: Colombia, DR Congo, Greece, Mexico

Group L: France, Sweden, Thailand, Tunisia

Notably, Wales - (losing) finalists in the last two editions - have not qualified for Spain 2042! And still no Hungary sadly, @Bobo Lelo.👎

Well, my best run (runners-up) at a World Cup in this save thus far was with Belgium in 2030 - can I go one step better with another ⅓ of BeNeLux?

The 2042 FIFA World Cup is here!

Matchday 1:

Group A: Spain 2-0 Paraguay, South Korea 2-2 Czechia

Group B: Japan 6-1 Cameroon, England 3-0 El Salvador

Group C: Guatemala 0-2 Italy, Mali 0-1 Saudi Arabia

Group D: Chile 3-0 Serbia, Scotland 1-2 Canada

Group E: Algeria 3-0 Iraq, Türkiye 1-5 Argentina

Group F: Brazil 2-1 Australia, Slovakia 2-2 Egypt

Group G…

Senegal 0-1 United Arab Emirates

Honduras 0-2 Netherlands

Group H: United States 5-0 Nigeria, New Zealand 1-4 Belgium

Group I: Germany 2-0 Uruguay, Cote d'Ivoire 1-0 Qatar

Group J: Jamaica 0-4 Morocco, Portugal 2-1 Norway

Group K: DR Congo 0-2 Mexico, Greece 0-2 Colombia

Group L: Sweden 1-1 France, Thailand 0-2 Tunisia

A positive beginning in charge of Oranje for Memphis van Persie (who is committing to the bit with - randomised - ginger facial hair!), but all to play for with Senegal and the UAE on the way.

super read, i enjoy looking at the nations and the trends on qualification, nice to see some smaller nations qualifying for a change

Thanks for reading! I like seeing how it develops too, I'm still waiting for that San Marino qualification though…

The 2042 FIFA World Cup continues!

Matchday 2:

Group A: Spain 1-0 Czechia, Paraguay 2-0 South Korea

Group B: El Salvador 0-6 Japan, Cameroon 0-6 England

Group C: Italy 2-1 Mali, Saudi Arabia 5-3 Guatemala

Group D: Canada 1-2 Chile, Serbia 1-1 Scotland

Group E: Argentina 0-1 Algeria (take a bow, Les Verts!), Iraq 3-1 Türkiye

Group F: Egypt 0-3 Brazil, Australia 0-2 Slovakia

Group G…

United Arab Emirates 2-0 Honduras

Netherlands 5-2 Senegal

Group H: Belgium 0-0 United States, Nigeria 2-2 New Zealand

Group I: Uruguay 2-1 Cote d'Ivoire, Qatar 0-3 Germany

Group J: Norway 6-0 Jamaica, Morocco 0-2 Portugal

Group K: Mexico 1-1 Greece, Colombia 3-0 DR Congo

Group L: France 1-0 Thailand, Tunisia 0-0 Sweden

Five goals scored in a game at the World Cup? Can't ask for any more than that. The game went a bit crazy with four goals in the final moments of the first half. The UAE also won, which means Group G is done and dusted really. Top spot is up for grabs of course, with the top two facing off on the final gameday.

The 2042 FIFA World Cup group stage concludes!

Group A: Paraguay 1-1 Czechia, Spain 1-0 South Korea

Group B: Cameroon 4-1 El Salvador, Japan 2-2 England

Group C: Guatemala 1-4 Mali, Italy 4-0 Saudi Arabia

Group D: Canada 0-2 Serbia, Scotland 1-0 Chile

Group E: Argentina 4-2 Iraq, Türkiye 0-0 Algeria

Group F: Egypt 2-3 Australia, Slovakia 2-1 Brazil (👀)

Group G…

Honduras 1-3 Senegal

Netherlands 0-1 United Arab Emirates

Group H: Nigeria 0-5 Belgium, United States 3-0 New Zealand

Group I: Germany 2-1 Cote d'Ivoire, Uruguay 4-1 Qatar

Group J: Jamaica 2-2 Portugal, Morocco 3-1 Norway

Group K: Colombia 6-1 Mexico, Greece 1-1 DR Congo

Group L: Thailand 1-2 Sweden, Tunisia 0-3 France

Eliminated: Czechia, South Korea (both A), Cameroon, El Salvador (both B), Guatemala (C), Canada (D), Türkiye (E), Egypt (F), Honduras (G), New Zealand, Nigeria (both H), Qatar (I), Jamaica (J), Greece, DR Congo (both K), Thailand (L)

Ew. First time in the save I've not placed top in the group stage. A rather troubling final group game loss to the United Arab Emirates - a rubbish match in truth, Miloš Milojević's UAE took their chance and Memphis van Persie's Dutch didn't. Another United await us in the knockouts - the States! The winner will then face Portugal or Sweden.

Rest of the Round of 32 draw:

Saudi Arabia vs. Spain

Argentina vs. Scotland

Japan vs. Senegal

Slovakia vs. Cote d'Ivoire

England vs. Paraguay

Italy vs. Norway

Tunisia vs. Algeria

Brazil vs. Chile

Uruguay vs. United Arab Emirates

Mexico vs. Morocco

Belgium vs. Mali

Serbia vs. France

Germany vs. Iraq

Colombia vs. Australia

Portugal vs. Sweden

The 2042 FIFA World Cup reaches the knockout stages!

A narrow, but welcomed success over the United States. Jamal Büttner (no relation to Mr. Alexander Büttner, I know Wigan Athletic fans still fear that man) with the all-important goal. Sweden beat Portugal elsewhere, so Netherlands vs. Sweden it will be in the Round of 16; Morocco or Belgium for the victor in the quarter-finals.

England are out! Paraguay pick up a big time victory, Brazil are up next for La Albirroja. Italy went out to Norway, but apart from those two games there wasn't much to shout about with the other Round of 32 encounters.

All the big guns kept apart. I'm sure they'll be one or two upsets, not in our Netherlands-Sweden match though as it'll be an even match-up; Sweden have performed well in the save; fourth in 2026, round of 16 exits in 2034 & 2038 (admittedly DNQ in 2030).

The 2042 FIFA World Cup reaches the Round of 16!

Quarter-final bound! A strong performance from the Dutch against their Swedish counterparts, who didn't turn up whatsoever; a third consecutive R16 exit for Blågult.

It's Belgium next up! I lost the last time I played my former employers, hopefully the opposite can happen this time.

What a Round of 16! Shocks aplenty! Spain? Out! Argentina? Out! Germany? Out! What a trio of results for Cote d'Ivoire, Japan and Colombia! Elsewhere, Algeria's fabulous run is now historic, as they reach the quarters for the first time after eliminating Norway.

How about that for a quarter-final line-up at Spain 2042! Cote d'Ivoire vs. Algeria is class. Brazil and France have to be favourites now, they play Japan and Colombia. Belgium, as stated, await Oranje, who are now the highest-ranked nation left in the competition. No pressure…

The 2042 FIFA World Cup reaches the quarter-finals!

Let's go! The Netherlands beat Belgium, I get a bit of redemption for The Red Devils eliminating my Argentina team at South Africa 2038; even though I still love those beautiful Belgians, having taken them to the 2030 final.

The winner came late from Martijn Muller, Atalanta's 30-year old right winger who hadn't played a minute at the World Cup before coming off the bench on 58' and scoring on 83'. Hero!

The semi-finals will see us play the story of this 2042 World Cup: Algeria. Do I even want to win? We're all Algeria, aren't we?

A potential Algeria vs. France final. Zizou won't know what to do with himself!

The 2042 FIFA World Cup reaches the semi-finals!

My apologies to the great nation of Algeria, but the Netherlands are off to the 2042 FIFA World Cup final at Camp Nou! An even, edgy match saw the Dutch sneak through, with Guyon Markelo notching his second (in as many rounds) goal of the tournament; assisted by senior international debutant Brent Karsdorp-Blij - it really is a squad game.

Brazil, who I managed at the 2034 tournament, are our opponents in the showpiece. Can I and the Dutch (four-time runner-ups) win our first-ever FIFA World Cup? Or will those greedy Brazilians claim their sixth title?

The 2042 FIFA World Cup reaches the final!

Pain. Just like in 2030 with Belgium, my team lose a World Cup final. Brazil, in fairness, deserved to triumph, but to lose out so narrowly in scoreline terms is unfortunate.

Don't mind me, just going to message Sports Interactive to tell them to delay FM26 for another year - that's how long I'm gonna need to win a damn World Cup, apparently.😁

No worries… didn't make the world cup since 1986. I thought we'd have a chance in 100 years of FM 😀

Well, well, well… 👀

I'll do a bonus World Cup with Hungary after I've done 2046 properly with (spoiler) Germany. I won't be doing that after all, turns out I can't take control of Hungary - presumably because they are too far down UEFA's rankings? Either way, very silly as I can take control of… Belize! Oh well, at least Hungary qualified!

The 2046 FIFA World Cup Preview:

Hosts: Indonesia, Malaysia

Holders: Brazil (2042, Spain)

Random # (1-7): 3 = Brazil (managed in 2034) / 4 = Germany

Last World Cup Win: 5th (2038)

Qualifying: 1st in UEFA Group H. Won 8/8, GF 24, GA 3, 24pts. In a group with Ukraine, Austria, Kosovo, Azerbaijan.

Most Goals: 8 - Björn Marinov (Real Madrid, newgen)

Most Assists: 3 - Luca Ranieri (Monaco, newgen)

Average Rating: 8.20 - Luca Ranieri (Monaco, newgen) - best in the region

Pre-Tournament Friendlies: 2-0 win away to Morocco, 3-1 win away to Mexico

Finals: Group L with New Zealand (79th), Nigeria (32nd), Uruguay (15th).

Fixtures: New Zealand > Uruguay > Nigeria

Squad:

Rest of the tournament:

Group A: Indonesia, Jamaica, Morocco, Poland

Group B: El Salvador, Cote d'Ivoire, Malaysia, Serbia

Group C: Ecuador, Ghana, Japan, Wales

Group D: Argentina, Canada, China, Sweden

Group E: France, Mali, Mexico, South Korea

Group F: Denmark, Paraguay, South Africa, Spain

Group G: Australia, Colombia, Croatia, Netherlands

Group H: Cameroon, Hungary, Italy, United Arab Emirates

Group I: England, Iraq, Senegal, United States

Group J: Algeria, Barbados (the Bajan Tridents at a World Cup?!), Portugal, Switzerland

Group K: Brazil, Egypt, Norway, Saudi Arabia

No Belgium!

Can I lead 2038 champs Germany to another World Cup triumph of the save?

The 2046 FIFA World Cup is here!

Matchday 1:

Group A: Indonesia 1-5 Jamaica, Poland 2-0 Morocco

Group B: Cote d'Ivoire 3-1 Serbia, Malaysia 0-3 El Salvador

Group C: Wales 2-2 Japan, Ecuador 2-1 Ghana

Group D: Canada 3-2 Sweden, China 0-2 Argentina

Group E: France 5-1 Mali, Mexico 4-0 South Korea

Group F: South Africa 4-1 Paraguay, Denmark 1-2 Spain

Group G: Australia 1-4 Netherlands, Colombia 1-2 Croatia

Group H: Cameroon 0-1 Italy, United Arab Emirates 2-2 Hungary

Group I: England 1-0 Senegal, United States 2-0 Iraq

Group J: Algeria 1-3 Switzerland, Barbados 1-7 Portugal

Group K: Brazil 2-1 Egypt, Norway 1-0 Saudi Arabia

Group L: 

Germany 4-1 New Zealand

Nigeria 1-2 Uruguay

Miroslav Müller's reign as Germany boss starts with near perfection - a 4-1 victory over New Zealand! Our friends from OFC did actually equalise late in the first half, but the Germans turned up in the second half to gain a deserved win. In the other Group L match, Uruguay beat Nigeria.

The 2046 FIFA World Cup continues!

Matchday 2:

Group A: Indonesia 0-7 Poland (just the 12 conceded by IDN 😬), Morocco 0-1 Jamaica

Group B: El Salvador 2-2 Cote d'Ivoire, Malaysia (not going too well for the other hosts either) 0-6 Serbia

Group C: Japan 4-4 Ecuador, Ghana 1-1 Wales

Group D: Argentina 1-0 Canada, Sweden 4-0 China

Group E: Mali 0-1 Mexico, South Korea 0-4 France

Group F: Spain 0-0 South Africa, Paraguay 0-4 Denmark

Group G: Netherlands 0-0 Colombia, Croatia 4-3 Australia

Group H: Italy 8-0 United Arab Emirates (ouch!), Hungary 0-1 Cameroon

Group I: Iraq 1-6 England, Senegal 0-3 United States

Group J: Portugal 2-0 Algeria, Switzerland 2-0 Barbados

Group K: Saudi Arabia 0-2 Brazil, Egypt 0-1 Norway

Group L: 

Uruguay 1-2 Germany

New Zealand 1-1 Nigeria

Qualification secured nice and early. That gameday two scoreline flattered Uruguay, who managed to dig in for 84 minutes before Godfrey Okello netted a merited winner for Die Mannschaft.

The 2046 FIFA World Cup group stage concludes!

Matchday 3:

Group A: Indonesia 0-0 Morocco (better, if too late), Jamaica 3-1 Poland

Group B: Malaysia 1-4 Cote d'Ivoire, Serbia 0-2 El Salvador

Group C: Japan 1-1 Ghana, Wales 2-3 Ecuador

Group D: Argentina 2-0 Sweden, China 0-3 Canada

Group E: Mexico 0-4 France, South Korea 0-2 Mali

Group F: Paraguay 1-2 Spain, South Africa 3-3 Denmark

Group G: Australia 0-3 Colombia, Netherlands 0-2 Croatia

Group H: Cameroon 3-1 United Arab Emirates, Italy 2-0 Hungary

Group I: Iraq 1-1 Senegal, United States 2-6 England

Group J: Algeria 4-1 Barbados, Switzerland 1-1 Portugal

Group K: Norway 0-0 Brazil, Saudi Arabia 3-0 Egypt

Group L: 

Nigeria 1-2 Germany

Uruguay 4-0 New Zealand

Eliminated: Morocco, Indonesia (both A), Serbia, Malaysia (both B), Ghana (C), China (D), South Korea (E), Paraguay (F), Australia (G), Hungary, United Arab Emirates (both H), Senegal, Iraq (both I), Barbados (J), Egypt (K), Nigeria, New Zealand (both L)

3 wins from 3 games = happy days. Sweden, a solid outfit as mentioned in a previous post, are up next in the knockouts. Victory should come the way of the Germans, though I've not been fully convinced by this German squad if I'm totally honest - hopefully I'm wrong.

The 2046 FIFA World Cup reaches the knockout stages!

Well, I did say I was unconvinced by this squad. But, they've got balls. A penalty shoot-out win over (Ryan Mason's) Sweden, who deserved to win to be honest - us Germans didn't have a shot (a shot!) until the equaliser on minute 82 - lucky fockers! United States on the way next.

Portugal are beaten by Uruguay, but apart from that it all went the way you (or I) would've expected. Jamaica are having an impressive surprise run though, beating Japan here.

Jamaica play Spain next - best of luck to The Reggae Boyz! England vs. Brazil is the standout Round of 16 tie.

The 2046 FIFA World Cup reaches the Round of 16!

Well, that felt inevitable. Germany had been riding their luck, which has evidently now ran out. Fair play to the United States, do we think Jürgen Klinsmann will be happy or unhappy?

Here's how the rest of the tournament played out:

Jamaica's dream is well and truly ended, as Spain beat ‘em by six unanswered goals. Mexico’s own run continues though, they beat the Netherlands. Elsewhere, no shocks - well, except for England vs. Brazil ending as one-sided as 4-0!

Quarter-final time…

Mexico just keep winning! They've only managed early knockout rounds in the save so far, but in 2046 have reached the semi-finals after beating Argentina! Away from them, France eliminate Spain as England (beat United States) and Colombia (edged a 4-4 thriller with Italy on penalties) also advance.

France vs. Colombia. Mexico vs. England. Could we have a Colombia vs. Mexico final?!

…that would be a certain no. France beat Colombia 3-0, as England (albeit after extra time) defeat Mexico.

So, the final will be between The French and The English. The latter won it in 2034, while France's best in the save has been third place twice (2030 + 2042).

After Colombia won the third place play-off, here's what happened in the big one…

France are winners! Les Bleus win their third title, their first since 2018 in Russia.

I'll have a go at this 2046 World Cup with Hungary - as noted earlier in the thread - out of interest and then… (see above) On to 2050! The big (20)50!