Prediction

“Let there be light: and there was light.” That’s what God said when he sat down to start crunching out the Bible after a long period of crippling writer’s block, but it easily could’ve been what you said after finally getting your hands on The18’s World Cup predictions. Here you have all your favorite soccer niños trying their damnedest to captivate, stimulate and prognosticate for your reading pleasure.

Who are you cheering for?

With every World Cup tournament comes the inevitable predictions from various types of animals. The 2010 World Cup saw Paul the Octopus set the bar high for every animal, as he accurately predicted the outcome of every Germany match as well as the World Cup final. Yes, he even predicted that they would lose to Spain in the semifinals, causing mass outrage amongst German fans to the point where they wanted to eat the poor guy. 

We know you fill out an NCAA Tournament bracket, so why wouldn’t you fill one out for the greatest sporting event in the world? Join our World Cup Bracket Challenge for a chance to win a jersey of your choice! 

All you gotta do is follow these easy steps:

In what's considered by many to be the weakest group at the World Cup, both Russia and Saudi Arabia will have plenty to prove in Group A's opening match Thursday. Russia will be backed by tens of thousands of screaming fans, while Saudi Arabia will look to prove that they're not here just to make up the numbers. 

If you like your dramas with a bit of continuity — and you haven’t watched a soccer match since the 2014 World Cup — you needn’t worry, the 2018 World Cup has got a better story arc than Anna Karenina. Here are 10 narratives that dominated the 2014 tournament that still apply in 2018.

#1. 2018 Costa Rica is 2014 Costa Rica.