Chris Sutton has been nursing a beer and a hunch all week. The BBC's football oracle — or jester, depending on your allegiance — just dropped his predictions for the final round of group games at the 2026 World Cup. And he's not playing nice. His forecast? Belgium, the golden generation that never quite turned to gold, is on the verge of an early exit.
Let's not pretend this is a shock. Belgium's campaign has been a slow-motion car crash. A limp draw against Canada, a narrow escape against Morocco that felt more like a mugging, and now they face a do-or-die clash with Croatia. Sutton says Croatia wins 2-1. I say he's being generous.
The Golden Generation's Rust
Remember when Belgium was the hipster's pick? 2018, third place, everyone drooling over De Bruyne's passing range and Hazard's twinkle-toes. That was eight years ago. Hazard's retired. De Bruyne looks like he's running through cement. The defense is a museum of relics. Vertonghen is still there, for crying out loud. The man played in the 2014 World Cup. He's got more miles on him than a used taxi.
Sutton's right to call it. Croatia isn't a powerhouse — they're a bunch of grizzled veterans who know how to grind out results. Modric, at 40, still conducts the midfield like he's at La Scala. Belgium's young guns, like Doku and Onana, have energy but no composure. Experience beats enthusiasm in tournament football. Every time.
"Belgium's golden generation had its moment. That moment has passed."
The math is brutal. Belgium needs a win to guarantee progression. A draw leaves them hoping Morocco loses to Canada. And Canada, for all their heart, have already booked flights home. Trusting your fate to Canada? That's not a strategy. That's a prayer.
The Other Groups: Bloodbath or Bore?
Sutton doesn't just pick on Belgium. He's got opinions on every group. Group A? Brazil strolls through. Surprise. Group B? France tops it, but England gives them a scare. Typical. The man's picks are safe enough to not embarrass him, but he's got a few curveballs.
His wildest take? Japan beats Spain in Group E. I'd laugh, but Japan did it in 2022. They've got a habit of spoiling European parties. Spain's possession game can be suffocated by a disciplined press, and Japan's pressing is a thing of beauty. If they pull it off, that group goes from predictable to pandemonium.
And then there's Group G — the Group of Death. Germany, Argentina, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia. Sutton has Germany and Argentina advancing. Bold. But Nigeria has the speed to shred any defense, and Saudi Arabia already stunned Argentina once. Could lightning strike twice? Probably not. But it's fun to imagine the meltdown in Buenos Aires.
The Sutton Method: Guesswork Masquerading as Analysis
Let's be honest. Predicting football scores is a fool's game. Sutton knows it. We know it. But that doesn't stop us from devouring his picks like gospel. Why? Because certainty feels good, even if it's fake. In a world of chaos, a man saying "2-1" gives us the illusion of control.
Sutton's track record is... mixed. He called France's 2018 win. He also thought England would beat Iceland in 2016. We all have our blind spots. But his value isn't accuracy — it's theater. He takes the raw data and spins it into a narrative. Belgium's decline, Japan's pluck, Croatia's guile. It's storytelling with a scoreline.
"Sutton's predictions aren't science. They're entertainment with a license to be wrong."
And that's fine. Football is entertainment. We watch for the drama, the heartbreak, the joy. Sutton gives us a script. We fill in the actual lines. If he's wrong, we mock him. If he's right, we call him a genius. Either way, we keep clicking.
What's at Stake: More Than Just Pride
These final group games aren't just about who advances. They're about legacies. For Belgium, an early exit would seal their reputation as underachievers. For Japan, a win over Spain would cement their status as giant-killers. For Mexico, who face Portugal in a must-win, it's about dragging a nation out of cynicism.
The knockout stage is where legends are made. But you have to get there first. Sutton's predictions suggest we'll see the usual suspects — Brazil, France, Argentina — plus a few surprises. Japan, maybe. Croatia, definitely. And Belgium? Pack your bags. The golden generation is done.
Of course, Sutton could be spectacularly wrong. That's the beauty of football. One bounce of the ball, one bad refereeing call, one moment of genius, and his spreadsheet crumbles. But that doesn't stop him from making predictions. And it doesn't stop us from reading them.
So here's to the final group games. May they be chaotic, dramatic, and utterly unpredictable. And may Sutton's picks be so wrong that we can laugh at him for another four years. Because that's the real tradition — not the beautiful game, but the beautiful act of being confidently incorrect.
