The 2018 FIFA World Cup is one of the biggest sporting events in the world, watched by millions of people from all corners of the globe. Some fans cheer on their countries with fervor and passion, others just watch to enjoy the beautiful game at the highest level. Every football fan has their own reasons for watching the World Cup.

But this is the World Cup, the pinnacle of sport, and the best of the best competing on a global stage. There can only be one winner, and just as everyone has a team they’re rooting for—everyone also has an opinion on who will win the whole thing. At EA SPORTS we are no different, but we made our prediction with a little technological assistance courtesy of FIFA 18.

Using FIFA 18, and brand new ratings from the 2018 FIFA World Cup update, we ran a simulation of the tournament from the group stage all the way through to the final in Moscow. Check out our predictions below, let us know what you think on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, and make your own picks using our online World Cup Predictor.

The Group Stage

32 teams qualified for the 2018 World Cup, split into eight groups of four. While we didn't see too many high-profile surprises in the group stage, a few interesting narratives did form.

Hosts Russia narrowly edged out Mohamed Salah and Egypt in Group A to come in second behind first place Uruguay. Group D had a surprising amount of drama and heartbreak as Lionel Messi’s Argentina came in second after losing to Croatia, keeping Euro 2016 darlings Iceland from progressing to the knockout rounds.

Perhaps the craziest result of the stage was the final standings of Group F, which saw Sweden slip past Mexico via the thinnest of margins. Both countries finished the stage with four points each and a -1 goal differential, which is the first tiebreaker according to the rules of the tournament. The final decision was made by the second tiebreaker: goals scored. Sweden scored five total goals in their three group games, one more than Mexico, to secure second place.