The Simpsons' famous World Cup prediction ends for good at hands of England and Jude Bellingham

Ten-man England broke Mexican hearts to progress into the World Cup quarter-finals in Mexico City - and also broke hopes one of The Simpsons' most famous predictions would come true.

Jude Bellingham was the hero for Thomas Tuchel’s side, scoring two quickfire goals to send the Three Lions on their way to a famous 3-2 victory.

Played in a hostile atmosphere at the cavernous Azteca Stadium, 2,240m above sea level, Bellingham's double put them 2-0 up before Julián Quiñones pulled one back before half time.

Jarell Quansah was then sent off for a high challenge on Jesus Gallardo, before Harry Kane quickly restored the two-goal advantage from the penalty spot.

Raúl Jiménez then also scored a penalty to set up a nervous finish but England held on to seal their place in their third successive World Cup quarter-final, where they will face Norway in Miami on Saturday, to leave the co-host nation shattered.

But also shattered was the possibility of The Simpsons pulling off yet another spooky prediction years prior to the event occurring, with the cult TV show infamous for generating storylines which have some reflection on future global events.

Donald Trump becoming US President, Lady Gaga playing the Super Bowl and Apple smart watches are just three of the Nostradamus-like scenes drawn up by Matt Groening and friends over the years. There is even belief the show predicted the 2024 US election result, right down to the final result map.

The Simpsons gave their irreverent take on a football tournament that looked a lot like the World Cup (Fox)

Another famous sketch made even more relevant this summer contains a wonderfully Americanised take on football - or soccer, given the geography - in the opening minutes of ‘The Cartridge Family’, the fifth episode of Season 9, released in 1997. In it, Bart and Lisa convince Homer to attend a match hosted by ‘the Contential Soccer Association’, one which will determine which nation is ‘the greatest on earth’.

The game is Mexico vs Portugal, with the location Springfield Stadium.

Of course, this isn’t quite the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium - as it will be this year - but the resemblance of Springfield Stadium to its real-life equivalent in New York/New Jersey has been enough for fans of The Simpsons to herald it as another potential gaze into a cartooned crystal ball.

The fact the tournament bracket kept co-hosts Mexico on the other side to Portugal, with Cristiano Ronaldo and team-mates awaiting Spain in this knockout stage, only heightened belief The Simpsons had done it again, with England having to face not only an entire football-crazy nation, but the seemingly unstoppable fate coming from the TV show's predictive powers.

Jude Bellingham celebrates after his second goal for England (Getty Images)

But what was always a long-shot - bookmakers priced it at 45/1 prior to kick-off on Monday morning - became impossible with the Three Lions’ win in the Mexican capital, which kicked off an hour later than scheduled due to adverse weather conditions.

With pubs across the country still packed despite the 2am start - after the decision was made to allow them to be open until 5am for the game - the nation watched with bitten fingernails and frayed nerves in one of the most memorable World Cup games in living memory.

And with the full-time whistle ended the idea the world would see Mexico in a World Cup final, and that The Simpsons had pulled off another prediction.

Perhaps the clues of this being a non-starter were always there. After all, Springfield’s version welcomes Pele as its special guest - the Brazilian legend sadly deceased after his passing in 2022 - while the game descends into farce with both teams passing side-to-side, something the effervescent Mexico rarely did during their time in the tournament.

It's not quite the MetLife Stadium in New York/New Jersey, but it's close enough. (Fox)

There is also likely to be no sign of cantankerous bartender Moe Szyslak at this year’s World Cup final, nor the riot he incited. Obviously.

But with Mexico out and England preparing for a showdown with Erling Haaland's Norway, confirmation comes that The Simpsons creators don’t have possession of a time machine came, although that shouldn’t stop suggestions they have sketched more glimpses into the future for us, such as Big Ben becoming digital or a woman finally being in power at the White House.

Well, not unless Bellingham takes umbrage with either of those.