[FM24] World Cup Prospector

The 2050 FIFA World Cup Preview:

Hosts: Brazil

Holders: France (2046, Indonesia/Malaysia)

Random # (1-7): 5 = Spain

Last World Cup Win: 2030 (2nd)

Qualifying: 1st in UEFA Group C. Won 9/10, GF 30, GA 5, 27pts. In a group with Türkiye, Northern Ireland, Armenia, Lithuania, San Marino.

Most Goals: 9 - Antón Miguel (Manchester City)

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

Average Rating: n/a - no-one with 7.67+

Pre-Tournament Friendlies: 2-1 win away to Algeria, 1-0 win away to Ghana

Finals: Group H with China (55th), Côte d'Ivoire (16th), Norway (25th).

Fixtures: China > Côte d'Ivoire > Norway

Squad:

Rest of the tournament:

Group A: Austria, Brazil, Morocco, Saudi Arabia

Group B: Colombia, England, South Korea, Togo

Group C: Egypt, Netherlands, Thailand, Uruguay

Group D: Paraguay, Senegal, Sweden, United States

Group E: Chile, Mexico, South Africa, Ukraine

Group F: Belgium, Canada, Germany, New Zealand

Group G: Ghana, Japan, Scotland, Venezuela

Group I: Argentina, Honduras, United Arab Emirates, Wales

Group J: Antigua & Barbuda, Denmark, France, Mali

Group K: Australia, Czechia, Italy, Nigeria

Group L: Algeria, Iran, Jamaica, Portugal

Quite a few interesting nations are here. Antigua & Barbuda make their World Cup debut, while there are also rare qualifications for Togo (first since 2006), Ukraine (first since 2034) and Venezuela (first since 2030).

Let's start. About time I got a World Cup under my belt, really.

The 2050 FIFA World Cup is here!

Matchday 1:

Group A: Brazil 5-1 Saudi Arabia, Morocco 2-2 Austria

Group B: England 8-0 Togo, Colombia 4-1 South Korea

Group C: Thailand 1-5 Uruguay, Egypt 0-6 Netherlands

Group D: Paraguay 0-0 United States, Sweden 4-1 Senegal

Group E: South Africa 0-0 Ukraine, Mexico 1-1 Chile

Group F: New Zealand 0-6 Belgium, Germany 2-1 Canada

Group G: Ghana 0-0 Scotland, Japan 2-2 Venezuela

Group H…

Norway 0-2 Côte d'Ivoire

Spain 5-2 China

Group I: Honduras 0-4 Argentina, United Arab Emirates 0-4 Wales

Group J: France 6-0 Antigua & Barbuda, Denmark 4-1 Mali

Group K: Czechia 1-4 Australia, Nigeria 0-4 Italy

Group L: Portugal 4-0 Iran, Jamaica 3-1 Algeria

China, with respect, were lucky to get two goals out of that. David Raúl's Spain were by far the better team, so winning 5-2 was very much deserved. Onwards to game two.

The 2050 FIFA World Cup continues!

Matchday 2:

Group A: Brazil 2-2 Morocco, Austria 1-2 Saudi Arabia

Group B: Togo 0-4 Colombia, South Korea 1-2 England

Group C: Uruguay 1-0 Egypt, Netherlands 2-0 Thailand

Group D: Senegal 3-1 Paraguay, United States 2-3 Sweden

Group E: Chile 1-1 South Africa, Ukraine 0-1 Mexico

Group F: Belgium 3-3 Germany, Canada 3-0 New Zealand

Group G: Venezuela 3-1 Ghana, Scotland 2-1 Japan

Group H…

China 0-3 Norway

Côte d'Ivoire 0-0 Spain

Group I: Wales 5-1 Honduras, Argentina 2-0 United Arab Emirates

Group J: Mali 0-4 France, Antigua & Barbuda 0-3 Denmark

Group K: Australia 5-1 Nigeria, Italy 0-1 Czechia

Group L: Algeria 3-3 Portugal, Iran 1-0 Jamaica

What a difference a few days makes. A point gained or a point dropped? Effectively only the latter, but time will tell, I guess.

The 2050 FIFA World Cup group stage concludes!

Matchday 3:

Group A: Brazil 1-0 Austria, Saudi Arabia 1-4 Morocco

Group B: England 3-1 Colombia, Togo 1-6 South Korea

Group C: Thailand 1-2 Egypt, Uruguay 1-0 Netherlands

Group D: Senegal 0-1 United States, Sweden 1-0 Paraguay

Group E: Chile 0-0 Ukraine, Mexico 2-0 South Africa

Group F: Canada 3-3 Belgium, Germany 4-0 New Zealand

Group G: Japan 1-0 Ghana, Venezuela 1-1 Scotland

Group H…

Côte d'Ivoire 2-0 China

Norway 0-3 Spain

Group I: Argentina 2-0 Wales (the people of Trelew will not be pleased!), Honduras 2-0 United Arab Emirates

Group J: Denmark 1-1 France, Mali 3-0 Antigua & Barbuda

Group K: Australia 1-3 Italy, Czechia 0-1 Nigeria

Group L: Algeria 1-0 Iran, Jamaica 1-1 Portugal

Eliminated: Saudi Arabia, Austria (both A), Togo (B), Egypt, Thailand (both C), Paraguay (D), Ukraine, South Africa (both E), New Zealand (F), Ghana (G), China (H), Honduras, United Arab Emirates (both I), Antigua & Barbuda (J), Nigeria (K), Iran (L).

Well, I guess I gotta give those Ivorians more credit - as they evidently stopped a fairly free-scoring Spain team. Let's hope fellow CAF members Senegal aren't quite as effective, given we play Lions de la Téranga next!

Rest of the Round of 32 draw:

Brazil vs. Netherlands

Chile vs. United States

England vs. Norway

Czechia vs. Germany

Morocco vs. Colombia

Mali vs. Uruguay

Mexico vs. Algeria

Belgium vs. Sweden

Wales vs. Venezuela

Italy vs. Denmark

Portugal vs. Canada

Scotland vs. Côte d'Ivoire

South Korea vs. Argentina

Japan vs. Australia

France vs. Jamaica

The 2050 FIFA World Cup reaches the knockout stages!

Senegal tried to commit a smash-and-grab, but the Spaniards did enough to see through a 2-1 win. Italy are up next! Tricky.

Brazil head home (well, they're already home but…) after losing to the Netherlands. There's a couple of interesting results elsewhere, but the main lot remain unscathed.

That's the Round of 16 draw. Our game is the eye-catcher, that and the Netherlands versus Germany. I'll be interesting to see if Côte d'Ivoire can keep their run going; they play France, who have lost knockout ties unexpectedly a couple times in this save - most notably to Georgia (who haven't qualified since) in 2026.

The 2050 FIFA World Cup reaches the Round of 16!

That's a nice win against our Italian amigos. A more even game than the scoreline suggests, to be fair,

Wales are back in the old groove, they're into the quarter-finals are eliminating Portugal. Germany go out to the Netherlands. Côte d'Ivoire's run is ended by France, who we play next. It doesn't get any easier.

The 2050 FIFA World Cup reaches the quarter-finals!

Oof. Stark result, that. Spain are knocked out of the 2050 FIFA World Cup by holders France.

In fairness, the scoreline was not a true reflection of what was an even, if low-quality, match. The French xG? 0.93. Spain's xG? 0.68. 4-7 on shots, 65%35 on possession. That's pretty harsh, but it is what it is. Our goalkeeper, Iker Agirre (Villarreal), getting an average rating in the match of 5.8 was evidently the difference.

Uruguay, Belgium and Wales also go out. That leaves the Netherlands, England, Argentina and France left.

NED vs. FRA, ENG vs. ARG. Can Argentina spoil the Euro party?

They cannot! England beat them by a clear 3-0 scoreline. The best game came in the other semi-final, where the Netherlands shocked France to head into their first final since 2042; when I coached 'em. Unlike then when they lost to Brazil, could the Dutch get over the line on this 2050 occasion?

England back on top! (in real life: Bristol City's) Zak Vyner (journeyman manager at this point; most notably coached Arsenal, Manchester United and Napoli pre-England) guides his nation to a third World Cup title; after 1966 and 2034. The Netherlands just can not clinch that trophy, they are now six time (third in the save) runners-up!

The 2054 FIFA World Cup Preview:

Hosts: England

Holders: England (2050, Brazil)

Random # (1-7): 1 = Spain / 2 = Netherlands (already managed) / 3 = France

Last World Cup Win: 2046 (3rd)

Qualifying: 1st in UEFA Group D. Won 7/8, GF 22, GA 5, 22pts. In a group with Türkiye, Luxembourg, Iceland, Lithuania.

Most Goals: 5 - Mike Ndongo (Ittihad)

Most Assists: 8 - Freddy Richard (Manchester City) - (joint) best in the region

Average Rating: 8.12 - Freddy Richard (Manchester City), Brayan Bocanegra (Al-Nassr)

Pre-Tournament Friendlies: 2-2 draw away to Chile, 3-1 win away to Nigeria

Finals: Group I with New Zealand (86th), Poland (34th), Uruguay (15th); I had NZL & URU in my group in 2046 with Brazil.

Fixtures: Poland > Uruguay > New Zealand

Squad:

Rest of the tournament:

Group A: England, Saudi Arabia, Suriname (first since 2038), Sweden

Group B: El Salvador, Japan, Mali, Wales

Group C: Germany, Ghana, Scotland, Thailand

Group D: Chile, Costa Rica, South Africa, Spain

Group E: China, Denmark, Egypt, Italy

Group F: Nigeria, Paraguay, Portugal, South Korea

Group G: Ecuador, Netherlands, Senegal, United Arab Emirates

Group H: Belgium, Gambia (a debut for The Scorpions!), United States, Venezuela

Group J: Australia, Brazil, Côte d'Ivoire, Serbia

Group K: Algeria, Iran, Mexico, Switzerland

Group L: Argentina, Morocco, Panama (first time in 20 years for La Roja), Türkiye

I can finally tick off France from the ‘to manage’ list; just Portugal and Italy left of the ‘big’ footballing nations. C'mon, Les Bleus!

The 2054 FIFA World Cup is here!

Matchday 1:

Group A: England 4-0 Sweden, Saudi Arabia 4-2 Suriname

Group B: Japan 4-0 Mali, Wales 4-0 El Salvador

Group C: Ghana 3-0 Thailand, Germany 3-1 Scotland

Group D: Chile 0-1 Spain, Costa Rica 1-2 South Africa

Group E: Denmark 2-7 Italy, Egypt 2-0 China

Group F: South Korea 2-1 Nigeria, Paraguay 0-2 Portugal

Group G: Senegal 1-0 United Arab Emirates, Netherlands 4-0 Ecuador

Group H: Venezuela 0-5 Belgium, United States 3-1 Gambia

Group I…

France 4-1 Poland

New Zealand 1-2 Uruguay

Group J: Serbia 1-0 Côte d'Ivoire, Brazil 2-0 Australia

Group K: Algeria 2-1 Iran, Mexico 2-0 Switzerland

Group L: Argentina 2-2 Türkiye, Panama 1-4 Morocco

Good start. More of that needed for Olivier Mbappé's team.

The 2054 FIFA World Cup continues!

Matchday 2:

Group A: Sweden 3-0 Saudi Arabia, England 3-0 Suriname

Group B: Mali 0-2 Wales, El Salvador 1-1 Japan

Group C: Thailand 0-4 Germany, Scotland 0-0 Ghana

Group D: South Africa 1-1 Chile, Spain 4-1 Costa Rica

Group E: China 0-3 Denmark, Italy 5-2 Egypt

Group F: Nigeria 2-1 Paraguay, Portugal 0-0 South Korea

Group G: United Arab Emirates 0-4 Netherlands, Ecuador 1-0 Senegal

Group H: Gambia 3-0 Venezuela (special times for The Scorpions), Belgium 1-0 United States

Group I…

Poland 8-1 New Zealand (wow!)

Uruguay 0-3 France

Group J: Côte d'Ivoire 1-2 Brazil, Australia 1-2 Serbia

Group K: Switzerland 3-2 Algeria, Iran 0-3 Mexico

Group L: Türkiye 6-0 Panama, Morocco 0-2 Argentina

It's all going absolutely swell at the moment. Almost too swell.

The 2054 FIFA World Cup group stage concludes!

Matchday 3:

Group A: England 4-1 Saudi Arabia, Suriname 0-4 Sweden

Group B: El Salvador 4-0 Mali, Wales 3-1 Japan

Group C: Ghana 1-4 Germany, Thailand 0-3 Scotland

Group D: Chile 3-0 Costa Rica, Spain 2-1 South Africa

Group E: China 0-0 Italy, Egypt 1-5 Denmark

Group F: Paraguay 1-1 South Korea, Portugal 0-1 Nigeria

Group G: Senegal 1-4 Netherlands, United Arab Emirates 2-2 Ecuador

Group H: Belgium 2-2 Gambia (The Scorpions place 2nd on debut - quality!), Venezuela 2-0 United States

Group I…

France 2-0 New Zealand

Poland 0-0 Uruguay

Group J: Australia 4-1 Côte d'Ivoire, Brazil 4-3 Serbia

Group K: Algeria 0-2 Mexico, Iran 0-2 Switzerland

Group L: Argentina 5-1 Panama, Türkiye 1-0 Morocco

Eliminated: Saudi Arabia, Suriname (both A), Mali (B), Thailand (C), Costa Rica (D), Egypt, China (both E), Paraguay (F), Senegal, United Arab Emirates (both G), Venezuela (H), New Zealand (I), Côte d'Ivoire (J), Algeria, Iran (both K), Panama (L)

Into the knockouts we go. Three wins, all convincing. El Salvador await in the next round, with potentially Portugal or Mexico afterwards.

Rest of the Round of 32 draw:

Scotland vs. England

Denmark vs. Chile

Wales vs. United States

Nigeria vs. Uruguay

Japan vs. Sweden

Germany vs. Australia

Morocco vs. Italy

Spain vs. South Korea

Poland vs. Netherlands

Switzerland vs. Serbia

Ghana vs. Belgium

Türkiye vs. South Africa

Gambia vs. Ecuador

Portugal vs. Mexico

Argentina vs. Brazil

SCO/ENG + ARG/BRA 👀

The 2054 FIFA World Cup reaches the knockout stages!

As expected, El Salvador were no match for Olivier Mbappé's France, who go through to the Round of 16 to face Portugal.

England and Argentina win those rivalry battles with Scotland and Brazil. Wales knock out the United States elsewhere, with Poland eliminating the Netherlands on penalties. Gambia's dream debut run is over, as they lost 2-1 to Ecuador.

Germany vs. Italy catches the eye, with the rest of the big boys kept apart. Hosts England meet Nigeria, who are having their best campaign of the save so far.

The 2054 FIFA World Cup reaches the Round of 16!

The run continues, as France sweep aside Portugal. Another fairly comfortable showing from Les Bleus.

The big result from this stage came from the all-CONMEBOL match-up between Ecuador and Argentina. It was La Tricolor who impressively advanced to the quarter-finals - what a win that is for nation managed by ex-Manchester City and Inter Milan man Felipe Caicedo. Germany are eliminated by Italy, while Nigeria's notable sequence of results is ended by hosts and holders England.

Ecuador's reward for dumping out Argentina is 2030 runners-up Belgium, can they carry on this already historic run? Looking past them, England meet Italy as Wales play Spain. Our French lads face fellow Group I alum Poland, which is a good draw… on paper.

The 2054 FIFA World Cup reaches the quarter-finals!

Well that's Poland off the Christmas card list. They inflict a painful loss on Olivier Mbappé and France, who were 2-0 up inside 7 minutes and remained ahead until the 96th minute (!!) when Atlético Madrid's Bartłomiej Zieliński popped up with an equaliser. At this point, The French were dead mentally and physically; Mbappé took the risk of playing the same starting eleven all tournament, so when that Zieliński goal went in it was extremely clear that extra time was a step too far… and so it proved.

Fair play to The Eagles. They were joined in the semi-finals by England, Spain and Belgium. Who'd make the final?

How. About. That! Two major semi-final shocks as England (hosts and holders!) lose on spot-kicks to Belgium and Poland beat Spain by a single goal. Belgium and Poland face-off in the 2054 FIFA World Cup final - incredible!

So… who won?

Belgium are world champions! A first-time winner was guaranteed and it's the Western European side that go all the way, at the expense of their impressive Eastern Europe counterparts.

That's consecutive quarter-final exits for yours truly now, as well as still FIFA World Cup in my personal trophy cabinet… a tiny bit embarrassing, let's be honest. Perhaps it'll come before (whenever) the FM26 “advanced access beta” drops.

Just caught up to this. Fun little adventure, good luck getting one before next week! 

Fingers crossed! Though it's gonna be more difficult as I've already managed the top nations, so unless Italy and/or Portugal (or whoever else) shoot up the rankings I'll have to achieve it with a non-elite team. Then again, my two best runs so far have been with Belgium and the Netherlands so it might be a blessing in disguise!

The 2058 FIFA World Cup Preview:

Hosts: Australia

Holders: Belgium (2054, England)

Random # (1-7): 5 = Spain / 6 = Argentina (already managed) / 7 = Italy

Last World Cup Win: 2006 (4th)

Qualifying: UEFA's Group B. Won 7/10, GF 24, GA 5, 23pts. In a group with Slovakia, Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein.

Most Goals: 7 - Elia Sottile (Bayern Munich)

Most Assists: 4 - Giacomo Marin (Manchester City), Marco Russo (Real Madrid)

Average Rating: 7.83 - Riccardo Raffaelli (Inter Milan)

Pre-Tournament Friendlies: 1-1 draw at home to Japan, 3-0 loss away to Colombia 😬

Finals: Group J with Ecuador (25th), South Korea (=32nd), Tunisia (50th).

Fixtures: Tunisia > South Korea > Ecuador

Squad:

Rest of the tournament:

Group A: Australia, Canada, Croatia, Uruguay

Group B: Algeria, Iran, Scotland, Wales

Group C: Japan, Senegal, Slovakia, Spain

Group D: Belgium, Costa Rica, Guinea (first Q since 2026), Saudi Arabia

Group E: DR Congo, Mexico, Paraguay, Türkiye

Group F: Austria, Brazil, Jamaica, South Africa

Group G: England, Côte d'Ivoire, Norway, United Arab Emirates

Group H: Argentina, Republic of Ireland (COYBIG; first Q in the save/since 2002), Thailand, United States

Group I: Cameroon, Honduras, Portugal, Serbia

Group K: Colombia, France, Nigeria, Uzbekistan (first Q since 2026)

Group L: Chile, Germany, Morocco, New Zealand

No Netherlands!

🗣️

Stringiamci a coorte! 
Siam pronti alla morte.
Siam pronti alla morte, 
L'Italia chiamò.
Stringiamci a coorte!
Siam pronti alla morte.
Siam pronti alla morte,
L'Italia chiamò. Sì!

The 2058 FIFA World Cup is here!

Matchday 1:

Group A: Australia 1-0 Canada, Uruguay 0-0 Croatia

Group B: Iran 0-3 Wales, Algeria 1-4 Scotland

Group C: Spain 2-2 Japan, Slovakia 2-1 Senegal

Group D: Guinea 3-2 Costa Rica, Saudi Arabia 0-5 Belgium

Group E: Paraguay 1-4 Mexico, Türkiye 1-0 DR Congo

Group F: South Africa 1-0 Austria, Jamaica 0-5 Brazil

Group G: Norway 4-0 United Arab Emirates, England 4-0 Côte d'Ivoire

Group H: Thailand 3-2 Republic of Ireland, United States 1-1 Argentina

Group I: Serbia 0-0 Honduras, Portugal 1-1 Cameroon

Group J…

South Korea 2-1 Ecuador

Tunisia 0-2 Italy

Group K: France 4-1 Nigeria, Colombia 3-2 Uzbekistan

Group L: Germany 2-2 Chile, Morocco 1-1 New Zealand

A dominant start for Italia against their North African opponents. Bayern Munich's Elia Sottile carries his top scoring qualifying form into the tournament proper with a brace. On to the next one!

The 2058 FIFA World Cup continues!

Matchday 2:

Group A: Canada 2-4 Uruguay, Australia 0-2 Croatia

Group B: Scotland 1-1 Iran, Wales 0-1 Algeria

Group C: Senegal 1-0 Spain, Japan 4-1 Slovakia

Group D: Belgium 8-0 Guinea (ouch!), Costa Rica 1-1 Saudi Arabia

Group E: DR Congo 3-2 Paraguay, Mexico 1-0 Türkiye

Group F: Austria 3-2 Jamaica, Brazil 0-0 South Africa

Group G: United Arab Emirates 0-5 England, Côte d'Ivoire 2-2 Norway

Group H: Argentina 6-0 Thailand, Republic of Ireland 3-0 United States

Group I: Cameroon 1-2 Serbia, Honduras 4-0 Portugal

Group J…

Ecuador 1-1 Tunisia

Italy 6-0 South Korea

Group K: Nigeria 0-0 Colombia, Uzbekistan 0-2 France

Group L: New Zealand 0-1 Germany, Chile 0-2 Morocco

Best performance and result of the entire save, I do believe. Very satisfying! That's qualification secured and practically top spot netted too, given only our Korean opposition can catch us and they are just the 13 goals away on goal difference.

The 2058 FIFA World Cup group stage concludes!

Matchday 3:

Group A: Australia 3-2 Uruguay, Canada 0-4 Croatia

Group B: Iran 2-1 Algeria, Wales 0-3 Scotland

Group C: Senegal 0-1 Japan, Slovakia 0-4 Spain

Group D: Belgium 2-0 Costa Rica, Saudi Arabia 4-2 Guinea

Group E: DR Congo 1-1 Mexico, Türkiye 2-1 Paraguay

Group F: Brazil 2-1 Austria, Jamaica 2-4 South Africa

Group G: England 3-0 Norway, Côte d'Ivoire 1-0 United Arab Emirates

Group H: Argentina 6-1 Republic of Ireland, United States 2-0 Thailand

Group I: Cameroon 1-0 Honduras, Portugal 0-1 Serbia - Portugal are out! Bottom of the group!

Group J…

Ecuador 1-0 Italy

South Korea 0-1 Tunisia

Group K: France 0-0 Colombia, Nigeria 2-0 Uzbekistan

Group L: Chile 2-0 New Zealand, Germany 0-0 Morocco

Eliminated: Canada (A), Wales, Algeria (both B), Senegal, Slovakia (both C), Guinea, Costa Rica (both D), Paraguay (E), Jamaica (F), United Arab Emirates (G), Republic of Ireland, Thailand (both H), Portugal (I), South Korea (J), Uzbekistan (K), New Zealand (L)

A loss to end the group stage to Ecuador, but one Gigi Meazza's team practically asked for given they changed almost their whole starting eleven; bar two central midfielders, who only played around 60 minutes themselves.

South Korea and Tunisia were likely not happy with the changes - but I can confirm no payments were made or received to or from an Ecuadorian… 😇

A titanic clash with Germany awaits. Norway or the United States for the victors.

Rest of the Round of 32 draw:

Spain vs. Croatia

Saudi Arabia vs. Türkiye

Scotland vs. Cameroon

Brazil vs. Nigeria

Australia vs. Iran

Tunisia vs. Japan

Chile vs. Mexico

South Africa vs. Belgium

England vs. Honduras

Colombia vs. Ecuador

Uruguay vs. Argentina

DR Congo vs. Morocco

Norway vs. United States

Serbia vs. Austria

France vs. Côte d'Ivoire

The 2058 FIFA World Cup reaches the knockout stages!

How have we lost that then? Despite a fifth-minute red card and being on the back foot for the rest of the match, it's Germany who advance to the Round of 16. Italy head home, with the most apt headline from Get Italian Football News, to be fair. Worst run (in terms of round reached) of the save, this.

Elsewhere in the opening knockout round, Brazil suffered a shock exit at the hands of Nigeria. Apart from that, not much to note.

In the Round of 16, all the favoured nations have matches that you would expect them to progress in. Let's see if they would…

They all would safely sail through to the quarter-finals. Argentina survived extra time against Ecuador, as Morocco ran England close at 1-0.

England vs. France and Argentina vs. Germany stands out, Spain will fancy themselves against Japan while Belgium have a great chance to continue their title defence with a match against Saudi Arabia. Here's how the quarters went down…

Spain beat Japan, Belgium beat Saudi Arabia, England beat France, Germany beat Argentina.

In the semi-finals, it's Spain versus Germany and Belgium against England. #TeamBelgium

They'll be no back-to-back wins for Belgium, as they go out to England. In the other tie, Germany defeated Spain.

The 2058 FIFA World Cup final will be between England and Germany - two old foes match-up at the MCG, what scenes down under.

England go for WC #4, Germany aim for WC #3…

Germany are champions! Felix Maier nets a 22-minute brace to seal victory for Die Mannschaft!

I can only dream! Miles, mate, can ya release the FM26 beta please… put me out of my World Cup misery.😆

🤞 2062 🤞

Still enjoying going through these updates! Such rotten luck every 4 years, couldnt script it. Surely time for one more world cup and hopefully the actual trophy before the beta launches!

You're not wrong! Here's hoping I can sneak a successful campaign in at the death, but I'm not liking my chances with the lack of top nations available to manage. An at rock bottom Portugal or an underdog story it'll most likely have to be!

The 2062 FIFA World Cup Preview:

Hosts: Mexico

Holders: Germany (2058, Australia)

Random # (1-7): 1 to 9 ENG, FRA, ESP, NED, BEL, BRA, GER, ARG, ITA (already managed) / 10 = Mexico

Last World Cup Win: n/a

For (most likely) my last World Cup attempt, I can only manage the next nation available - which is 10th in the rankings Mexico, who are the 2062 hosts. How fitting.

(no qualifying screenshot due to El Tri qualifying as hosts.)

At the most recent CONCACAF Gold Cup, which Mexico did win as the United States went out at the quarter-finals to eventual finalists Costa Rica, 22-year old Iván Gómez (Fulham, just placed as seventh top scorer in the Premier League) did score in every round as he notched 10 goals; including a hat-trick over Trinidad & Tobago. The man to watch! In a pre-tournament friendly, my former employers Italy beat Mexico 3-2 at the Rose Bowl in the USA.

Finals: Group A with China (57th), Paraguay (39th), Scotland (20th).

Fixtures: Scotland > China > Paraguay

Squad:

Rest of the tournament:

Group B: Argentina, Ghana, Iran, Türkiye

Group C: Ecuador, El Salvador, Morocco, Norway

Group D: Colombia, England, Republic of Ireland (tasty), Thailand

Group E: Brazil, Northern Ireland (GAWA! first Q since 1986!), South Africa, South Korea

Group F: Algeria, Canada, France, Japan

Group G: Belgium, Egypt, New Zealand, Portugal

Group H: Cameroon, Iraq, Italy, United States

Group I: Costa Rica, Germany, Côte d'Ivoire, Saudi Arabia

Group J: Australia, Netherlands, Peru (first Q since 2026!), Sweden

Group K: Honduras, Mali, Spain, Wales

Group L: Chile, Nigeria, Serbia, Uzbekistan

Mexico's previous best is quarter-finals in 1970 & 1986, which is when they were also hosts.

El Tri make for my first team managed in the save that isn't from CONMEBOL or UEFA and the first host nation I've (well, Javier Borgetti has…) led.

It's all written in the stars for World Cup glory, surely! [tongue firmly in cheek] but in the words of Cher or Smash Mouth… Believe!/I'm a Believer! (delete as appropriate for your musical taste)

The 2062 FIFA World Cup is here!

Matchday 1:

Group A…

Mexico 1-2 Scotland

Paraguay 1-1 China

Group B: Türkiye 0-0 Iran, Ghana 1-1 Argentina

Group C: Ecuador 2-2 Morocco, El Salvador 0-2 Norway

Group D: Thailand 1-4 Colombia, Republic of Ireland 0-2 England

Group E: Brazil 3-1 South Africa, South Korea 3-1 Northern Ireland (the group of directions)

Group F: Canada 1-1 Japan, Algeria 0-4 France

Group G: Belgium 1-0 Portugal, New Zealand 2-3 Egypt

Group H: United States 2-1 Iraq, Cameroon 0-2 Italy

Group I: Saudi Arabia 2-1 Costa Rica, Germany 5-1 Côte d'Ivoire

Group J: Netherlands 1-0 Peru, Australia 2-2 Sweden

Group K: Wales 0-0 Mali, Honduras 1-2 Spain

Group L: Nigeria 4-4 Chile, Serbia 3-0 Uzbekistan

Gotta hold my hands up with that one, got the starting tactical set-up all wrong. Damage was done by half-time with Scotland 2-0 up, but a much better second half performance gives hope going forward - hopefully it won't be a costly mistake, Paraguay and China drew in the other match so that kinda helps. Gotta beat 龙之队!

The 2062 FIFA World Cup continues!

Matchday 2:

Group A…

Scotland 3-0 Paraguay

Mexico 0-0 China

Group B: Iran 1-1 Ghana, Argentina 0-0 Türkiye

Group C: Norway 2-0 Ecuador, Morocco 1-1 El Salvador

Group D: England 5-1 Thailand, Colombia 1-2 Republic of Ireland

Group E: South Africa 1-1 South Korea, Northern Ireland 3-1 Brazil (incredible, stick that next to David Healy vs. Spain!)

Group F: Japan 0-0 Algeria, France 6-0 Canada

Group G: Egypt vs. Belgium, Portugal 3-0 New Zealand

Group H: Iraq 0-4 Cameroon, Italy 2-2 United States

Group I: Costa Rica 0-3 Germany, Côte d'Ivoire 0-3 Saudi Arabia

Group J: Sweden 2-3 Netherlands, Peru 0-0 Australia

Group K: Mali 2-2 Honduras, Spain 3-0 Wales

Group L: Chile 2-3 Serbia, Uzbekistan 2-2 Nigeria

In the words of John McEnroe: “You Cannot Be Serious!”. China somehow dig in to secure a point, despite Javier Borgetti's Mexico claiming a win 19-3 on shots and 2.91 vs. 0.21 on xG. The reason? Shanghai Port goalkeeper Zheng Xuan, who saved an early penalty as he put in a display rating of 9.2! 9.2! Fair play to that man, honestly.

1pt from a possible 6pts is not good, but we still have hope. If we beat Paraguay we should be alright to at least qualify as a best third place side, but you'd like to think Scotland will defeat China so second place would then be taken. I might have to contact those Ecuadorians I met in 2058… wait, what?

The 2062 FIFA World Cup group stage concludes!

Matchday 3:

Group A…

China 1-4 Scotland

Mexico 4-1 Paraguay

Group B: Iran 0-2 Argentina, Türkiye 4-2 Ghana

Group C: Ecuador 2-0 El Salvador, Morocco 1-1 Norway

Group D: England 3-3 Colombia, Republic of Ireland 1-0 Thailand

Group E: Brazil 1-2 South Korea, South Africa 1-0 Northern Ireland - Brazil sneak through in 3rd on goals scored ahead of NIR (harsh)

Group F: Canada 1-0 Algeria, Japan 0-1 France

Group G: Egypt 2-1 Portugal, New Zealand 2-1 Belgium

Group H: Iraq 0-4 Italy, United States 3-3 Cameroon

Group I: Germany 0-0 Saudi Arabia, Côte d'Ivoire 1-1 Costa Rica

Group J: Australia 1-4 Netherlands, Sweden 1-2 Peru

Group K: Mali 0-0 Spain, Wales 3-1 Honduras

Group L: Serbia 4-2 Nigeria, Uzbekistan 1-2 Chile

Eliminated: China, Paraguay (both A), Ghana, Iran (both B), El Salvador (C), Thailand (D), Northern Ireland (E), Algeria (F), New Zealand (G), Iraq (H), Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire (both I), Australia, Sweden (both J), Honduras (K), Uzbekistan (L)

Phew! There'll be no group stage elimination for hosts Mexico, who produce a terrific final group game performance versus Paraguay; that's how the China match would've went if not for Mr. Zheng. With Scotland beating the aforementioned China, it means El Tri snatch second place. Just the small issue of Argentina next…

Rest of the Round of 32 draw:

Scotland vs. Ecuador

South Africa vs. Republic of Ireland

Türkiye vs. Portugal

Mali vs. France

Cameroon vs. Norway

South Korea vs. Nigeria

England vs. Canada

Saudi Arabia vs. Belgium

Peru vs. Wales

Morocco vs. Italy

Serbia vs. Colombia

Egypt vs. United States

Germany vs. Brazil

Japan vs. Spain

Chile vs. Netherlands

The 2062 FIFA World Cup reaches the knockout stages!

Miguel Herrera🫡

From the 7th-best nation in the world, to the one at the top of the rankings. England are next. Bring it on, I say.

Elsewhere, Türkiye knocked out underachievers Portugal on penalties, while Germany went out to Brazil. South Africa, Peru and Serbia are the pick of the underdogs who advance.

The expectation of the FMF was the Round of 16, so anything else from here on in is a bonus. Brazil vs. Spain is the standout tie, surely Brazil's luck will run out at some point.

Squeaked into the knockout stages on the final day of group games, then take apart Argentina.

Could the tide start to turn your way now? One can only but hope…

I suppose I had a bit of a cheek questioning Brazil's luck, when in fact us Mexicans got just as much good fortune!😁