AI predicts how far England will go at 2026 World Cup - you won't believe how it ends

Thomas Tuchel's England hopefuls will soon be put out of their World Cup 2026 misery, as the Three Lions head coach will announce his squad for the 48-team global gathering on May 22.

The former Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund head coach has already submitted a 55-strong preliminary list to FIFA, but there was no grand unveiling for that expanded selection, with only a few leaks suggesting who may or may not have made the list.

There are some certainties within the ranks - the likes of Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Marc Guehi and Jordan Pickford - while others have one final chance in this weekend's domestic fixtures to make their case for a ticket.

Those who do cross the Atlantic this summer will be tasked with leading England through a tricky group comprising Ghana, Croatia and Panama, and ultimately emulating the luminaries of 1966, whose feats are yet to be repeated at a senior men's level.

One month out from the 2026 World Cup, Sports Mole asked AI to predict how far England will go in this summer's tournament in Canada, Mexico, and the USA, taking into account the latest squad news and the potential knockout-round bracket. 

Summary:

The AI believes that England will make easy work of their group. The technology predicts England to beat Croatia in their first meeting since the Three Lions won 1-0 in the European Championship group stage in 2021.

The second outing against Ghana could be comfortable for Harry Kane and company, and while they are expected to take three points off Panama, they could concede their first goal of the tournament in the final group game.

Summary:

The AI was unable to use an exact nation for England's Round of 32 tie due to the significant uncertainty about who could be the third-placed team. 

Whoever their opponent is, the Three Lions are expected to advance to the last 16, where they could see off co-hosts Mexico via a narrow scoreline.

The predicted 2-1 win over Mexico would set up England's first meeting with Brazil since Ronaldinho curled that sensational free-kick over David Seaman's head in 2002. 

England lost 2-1 in that quarter-final clash, but 24 years later, the AI predicts that the Three Lions will get their revenge with a dramatic penalty-shootout win.

However, the joy from that success could be quashed by Brazil's South American rivals and the reigning world champions Argentina.

The prediction claims that Lionel Scaloni's side, maybe with or without Lionel Messi, will edge out England via a 1-0 scoreline in a tense semi-final.

That would see England lose in the last four for the second time in three World Cups after falling to Croatia in the 2018 semi-finals. 

The Three Lions would get to participate in the third-place playoff, but such a scenario would be of little consolation to Tuchel's charges.