World Cup Exits: Dutch, German, and Japanese Fans Disappointed
Three proud football nations, three brutal exits. Germany and the Netherlands both fell in penalty shootouts, to Paraguay and Morocco respectively. Japan held Brazil at bay until stoppage time, only to see their dream torn away by an injury-time equaliser that sealed their fate.
No heroic comeback. No second chance. Just the cold finality of elimination.
Shockwaves on the pitch, drama on the leaderboard
While giants were tumbling on the field, the World Cup prediction game produced its own storyline.
At the top sits Guido de Bruijn of Agrofair, still clinging to first place. No algorithms. No spreadsheets. Just instinct.
“I think the longer you think about it, the less likely you are to get it right. Your first instinct is often the best,” he says. His approach, as simple as it sounds, continues to hold up under pressure.
Behind him, the chase is on.
Jose Juan Garcia Teruel of Asetir in Almería has tightened his grip on second, 56 points back. That gap is significant, but not decisive with so many matches still to come. British horticultural supplier Patrick Harte of CambridgeHOK has surged into third, his steady rise turning him into a genuine contender.
The pack behind is dense and unforgiving. One good round can launch you forward; one bad night can bury you.
Hans Borsboom (Herik Legal), Mark Libregts (JNV Produce) and Harold van Mastwijk (Lehmann&Troost) now occupy fourth, fifth and sixth. Just below them, Slim Kooli of Canadian fruit and vegetable firm Courchesne Larose has climbed into seventh, positioning himself within striking distance of the podium.
Then come the new faces and the returnees.
‘Red Devil’ Frank Meulewaeter, working for Beti Ornamental Plants in Ethiopia, has broken into the top 10 for the first time, landing in eighth. Italian lettuce and herb grower Sandro Miglino of Fratelli Cafaro 1989 has fought his way back into the elite group in ninth. Rounding out the top 10 is Christian Anton Smedshaug, chief economist at Landkreditt in Norway, who keeps his place among the frontrunners in a competition where one wrong scoreline prediction can cost dozens of points.
Fine margins, bold calls
The next set of fixtures will test nerve as much as knowledge: Ivory Coast v Norway, France v Sweden, Mexico v Ecuador.
At this stage, every prediction carries weight. The leaders have largely backed Norway to edge Ivory Coast, with several calling a 1–2 away win. France are widely tipped to beat Sweden, often by a 2–0 margin, while Mexico v Ecuador has split opinion between narrow Mexican wins and tight draws.
The table is compressed enough that a surprise in any of those games could rip the current order apart. One goal in stoppage time — the kind that broke Japanese hearts against Brazil — could swing hundreds of points across the leaderboard.
Behind the individual duel at the top, the average standings by country add another twist. Participants from Costa Rica currently lead that ranking, ahead of Guatemala and Switzerland. Smaller football nations on the pitch, perhaps, but in this prediction game they are setting the standard.
The prize is clear: €1,000 for the overall winner. The path there is anything but.
Some of the biggest names in world football have already gone home. The question now is which of these forecasters can stay on their feet longest, trust their instincts like De Bruijn — and still be standing when the final whistle of the tournament blows.
