The FIFA World Cup, the biggest event in world sports, is set to begin on June 12, featuring a historic expanded format for the first time.
The tournament will be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, marking the first World Cup to include 48 participating teams.
The teams will be divided into 12 groups of four, with a total of 104 matches scheduled throughout the competition. The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage, which will also feature a newly introduced Round of 32.
With more teams and greater competition, predicting a winner has become increasingly difficult. However, the Opta supercomputer has made data-driven projections using advanced AI-based simulations.
According to the model, Spain are the strongest favourites to lift the trophy, with a 16.1% chance of winning the tournament after running more than 10,000 simulations.
France are ranked second, followed by England in third and Argentina in fourth, with all four teams having more than a 10% chance of winning the World Cup.
Despite being favourites, Spain also face uncertainty, with a 52.1% probability of not reaching the quarter-finals. However, if they progress, their chances improve significantly, with a 39% likelihood of reaching the semi-finals and a 25.6% chance of making the final.
The data also suggests that the expanded format increases unpredictability, although Spain remain the clear front-runners in the statistical model.