FIFA World Cup 2026: Elephant Tarak and Orangutan Walter Predict Germany’s Next Match

Remember Paul the Octopus from 2010? Well, this time, two new animals are predicting football results. An elephant and an orangutan in Germany have given opposite predictions for the Germany-Curaçao match. We'll have to wait and see who gets it right.

Everyone remembers Paul the Octopus, right? Back in the 2010 World Cup, he became a superstar for perfectly predicting Germany's match results. The method was simple: Paul would choose food from one of two boxes, each representing a team. He was incredibly accurate! In the 2008 Euro Cup, he got four out of six of Germany's matches right. And in the 2010 World Cup, he had a perfect record for all of Germany's games. He even correctly predicted that Spain would beat Holland in the final on July 11.

Elephant or Orangutan? Germany’s Match Prediction Sparks Buzz

Now, a zoo in Germany has brought two new predictors into the game: Tarak and Walter. Both are stars at the Cologne Zoo in Germany. Tarak, an Asian elephant, has a special love for footballs. So, the zookeepers had an idea. They gave him balls with the flags of Germany and Curaçao to predict the match result. Tarak made his choice clear: he crushed the German ball, predicting a German win. At least, that's what the zookeepers believe.

But Walter, an orangutan, has a different opinion. He predicts a win for Curaçao. Walter was given two boxes filled with food. Although he picked up both boxes, he chose to eat from the one representing Curaçao. The Germany-Curaçao match is on Sunday. So, whose prediction will come true—Tarak's or Walter's? We'll have to wait and find out.