Why people are convinced The Simpsons predicted next World Cup winners

An episode of The Simpsons could have predicted the outcome of this year's World Cup.

Over the years The Simpsons has built up a reputation for including all manner of different predictions for the future in its more than 800 episodes.

Of course, perhaps the most widely-known 'prediction' was from the eleventh season, with an episode called Bart to the Future, where Donald Trump was elected president, an idea which seemed outlandish at the time.

There's also the US 2024 election map, and even the cost of living crisis in the UK.

But it's not just politics which has been the subject of The Simpsons eerie ability for real world events to replicate what happens in the show.

To be fair, with over 800 episodes having aired since the show first began, there's a lot of things in The Simpsons which could happen.

A staple of these predictions however is for major sporting events, and with the World Cup now imminent in the US, another Simpsons episode has re-emergence to continue the conspiracy theory.

Some fans reckon this was a World Cup prediction. (Fox)

Back in 1997, the show had an episode called The Cartridge Family where Homer and Marge went to see a football match at the Springfield Stadium.

The match was billed in the episode as 'Which nation is the greatest on Earth?', and saw Portugal facing off against Mexico.

Both of these teams have qualified for the 2026 World Cup.

Some fans have even drawn a parallel between the stadium in the show and the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where the 2026 World Cup Final will take place.

But just how likely is it that this final showdown will play out like it does in The Simpsons?

Well, some fans are less than convinced that both of these teams will have what it takes to make it to the final stage of the competition.

The episode aired in the late 90s. (Fox)

Taking to social media, one person wrote: “If you look at their team and see the teams of Brazil or Argentina or Spain or England... you'd know there's no way that's happening."

Some suggested that while it's possible that Portugal will make it through to the final, Mexico may have a harder time getting this far against some of the very stiff competition.

Others suggested that the episode wasn't referring to the FIFA World Cup at all.

Nonetheless, while it might be a long shot that doesn't make this scenario impossible.

Only time will tell!