'Four Asian Teams to Reach 2026 World Cup Round of 32': Goldman Sachs Surprising Forecast, Asian Teams to Be Eliminated in Round of 16

*This content was translated by AI.

Global investment bank Goldman Sachs has predicted that only four Asian teams, including South Korea and Japan, will advance to the 2026 FIFA North America World Cup Round of 32. However, the bank forecasts that all Asian teams reaching the Round of 32 will fail to advance to the Round of 16 and will conclude their tournament journey at the Round of 32.

According to Land Group on the 7th (Korean time), Goldman Sachs recently used its predictive model to forecast the group stage results and tournament outcomes for the 2026 FIFA North America World Cup.

According to Goldman Sachs, South Korea's probability of reaching the Round of 32 is 71.2%, second only to Mexico (95.6%) in Group A. The Czech Republic stands at 68.7%, and South Africa at 31.8%.

Naturally, South Korea has been placed on the tournament bracket for the Round of 32. Their opponent is Switzerland. However, it is predicted that South Korea will lose to Switzerland and be eliminated in the Round of 32.

However, South Korea is not the only Asian team to appear in the predicted tournament bracket.

Goldman Sachs predicted that Japan, which has the highest FIFA ranking in Asia, along with Iran and Uzbekistan, which is making its first-ever appearance in the World Cup finals, will all reach the Round of 32.

The probability of reaching the Round of 32 was highest for Japan at 78.9%, followed by Iran (71.6%), South Korea (71.2%), and Uzbekistan (54.5%).

While most foreign media outlets have predicted that South Korea and Japan will reach the Round of 32, they have largely overlooked Iran and Uzbekistan, making Goldman Sachs' latest forecast an unexpected prediction.

However, it is predicted that not only South Korea but all other Asian teams will also conclude their tournament journey at the Round of 32. Japan is expected to lose to Brazil, and Uzbekistan is predicted to fail to overcome the wall of England.

Additionally, Goldman Sachs has predicted a potential Round of 32 matchup between the host nation, the United States, and Iran, both of which have been engaged in war since before the World Cup. According to the tournament bracket, if both the United States and Iran advance as second-place teams in their groups, they will meet in the Round of 32. The predicted winner is the United States.

The probability of Asian teams advancing to the Round of 16 was highest for South Korea at 34.5%, followed by Japan (30.7%), Iran (30.03%), and Uzbekistan (18.9%). In contrast, the probability of reaching the Quarterfinals was 16% for Japan, 10.6% for South Korea, and 9.7% and 6.2% for Iran and Uzbekistan, respectively.

While South Korea has a higher probability of reaching the Round of 16 than Japan, Japan has a higher probability of reaching the Quarterfinals, which is interpreted as reflecting the tournament bracket where Japan is likely to face Brazil in the Round of 16.

The Quarterfinal matchups predicted by Goldman Sachs for this tournament were France vs. Netherlands, Spain vs. Turkey, Brazil vs. England, and Argentina vs. Portugal.

Subsequently, France and Spain, as well as Brazil and Argentina, were predicted to clash in the Semifinals, with Goldman Sachs forecasting that Spain will defeat Argentina in the long-awaited Final to claim the championship.

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*This content was translated by AI.