Shawk the Hawk outpredicts German economist by backing Morocco vs Netherlands
Forget octopuses and algorithms; Shawk is now the World Cup prediction king
The numbers said one thing. Shawk the Hawk said another.
Before the World Cup began, German economist Joachim Klement's statistical model was once again making headlines. His complex forecasting model had correctly predicted every World Cup winner since 2014, leading him to back the Netherlands to lift the 2026 FIFA World Cup. His model also predicted Japan would knock Brazil out in the Round of 16 and even projected a Portugal vs Netherlands final.
But Gulf News' resident predictor had a different view.
Shawk the hawk backed Morocco to eliminate the Netherlands and also picked Brazil to overcome Japan. Both predictions proved correct as Morocco sent Klement's predicted champions crashing out, while Carlo Ancelotti's Brazil booked their place in the quarter finals.
Shawk's hot streak actually began long before the knockout rounds. During the group stage, he made 12 predictions, getting only one outright wrong, while two matches finished as draws. That record alone was impressive, but now that there are no second chances in the knockout stage, the pressure is even greater.
So far, Shawk has handled it with ease.
Two knockout matches. Two correct predictions.
Klement's model, meanwhile, has unravelled. The Netherlands are out, Japan failed to eliminate Brazil, and his projected Portugal vs Netherlands final had already disappeared after Portugal failed to top their group, sending them into a different side of the knockout bracket.
That's football. It's unpredictable.
Forget octopuses and algorithms. Right now, Shawk the Hawk is the prediction king of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. But Shawk is a true professional and doesn't seem interested in showing off. For him, it's all about the fun. He knows football is like this.
