As excitement builds ahead of the opening match of FIFA World Cup 2026, one unlikely football pundit has entered the prediction game.
The Two Oceans Aquarium at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town enlisted the help of Cherry, its resident octopus, to predict the outcome of the tournament’s opening clash between co-hosts Mexico and South Africa on Thursday, 11 June.
Kick-off is at 21:00 (SA time).
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Highly-anticipated fixture
In a social media post shared ahead of the highly-anticipated fixture, the Two Oceans Aquarium revealed that Cherry had been presented with the challenge of choosing between the two competing nations.
“We’ve joined the FIFA World Cup excitement!” the aquarium said.
“Our resident octopus, Cherry, was given the ultimate challenge: predicting the winner of tonight’s opening FIFA World Cup match by choosing between South Africa and Mexico.”
Spoiler alert: Cherry chose Mexico
Enrichment programme
The light-hearted activity forms part of Cherry’s regular enrichment programme, which is designed to stimulate her natural behaviours and keep her mentally engaged.
According to the aquarium, the programme includes prey puzzles hidden in jars, tubes and boxes, tactile toys, and interactive sessions with animal care staff.
These activities encourage the octopus to use her natural hunting instincts, problem-solving abilities and curiosity while exploring her environment.
Long tradition
The prediction follows a long tradition of animals being used to forecast the outcomes of major sporting events, most famously during previous FIFA World Cups when octopuses gained international attention for correctly predicting match results.
Whether Cherry can match the success of her famous predecessors remains to be seen, but her prediction has certainly added an extra layer of fun to the build-up to the tournament opener.
With South Africa and Mexico set to renew their World Cup rivalry 16 years after their memorable 1-1 draw in the opening match of FIFA World Cup 2010 in Johannesburg, Bafana Bafana supporters will be hoping Cherry’s forecast proves incorrect.
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