

All bets are off. The Germans are going to win the World Cup. A computer said so, and they're hardly ever wrong.
Or rather, EA Sports' FIFA 14 did. Simulations created using the title's game engine have forecast a win for the Germans, beating the Brazilian hosts 2-1 in the final after extra time. Defending champions Spain will fall agonisingly short of repeating their 2010 exploits, losing 4-5 on penalties to the Germans in the semi-finals before going on to beat Portugal 3-1 in the third place playoff.
Meanwhile, English hopes will sore after winning a penalty shoot out (4-3 against Colombia in the round of 16) before being undone by Spain 2-0 in the quarter finals.
Now, don't be quick to dismiss these predictions - the last time EA Sports ran their simulation they foresaw that Spain would win the 2010 tournament (though, notably, they saw Brazil reaching the final over Holland, with the Spanish winning 3-1).
Here's the full breakdown of the simulation results from the final 16 onwards:
Round of 16
Brazil v Netherlands 3:1
Ivory Coast v Uruguay 2:3
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France v Nigeria 0:1
Portugal v Russia 2:0
Spain v Mexico 3:1
England v Colombia 1:1 (4:3 pens)
Argentina v Ecuador 2:0
Belgium v Germany 1:2
Quarter Finals
Brazil v Uruguay 2:2 (4:3 pens)
Portugal v Nigeria 4:3
England v Spain 0:2
Germany v Argentina 2:1
Semi Finals
Brazil v Portugal 1:0
Spain v Germany 0:0 (4:5 pens)
3rd Place
Portugal v Spain 1:3
Finals
Brazil v Germany 1:2 (AET)
(Images: EA)
[Via: Polygon]

As Content Director of Shortlist, Marc likes nothing more than to compile endless lists of an evening by candlelight. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.
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