World Cup 2022: Can you outguess our AI predictor robot? | Qatar World Cup 2022 News

Al Jazeera’s AI robot, has made up for a shaky start and has correctly predicted the outcome of all four knockout games.

World Cup 2022 has produced some incredible football and shocks.

The group stages provided endless high-octane thrillers, all laced with an air of unpredictability. With 14 goals scored in the first four knockout matches, this tournament has continued to deliver.

But behind the captivating lure of this footballing spectacle, there has been an existential battle taking place at the Al Jazeera offices.

The question: Who can predict a football game better? Kashef, our beloved AI robot, or humans?

Kashef, the artificial intelligence (AI) robot, analyses more than 200 metrics, including the number of wins, goals scored and FIFA rankings, from matches played over the past century to predict his match winners.

After every day of action, as players and fans settle down to sleep, Kashef dutifully downloads the day’s data and predicts the outcomes for the next day and its expected route to the final.

But how accurate has Kashef been?

Kashef’s performance so far

The group stages were not kind to Kashef, who erred on the side of caution and failed to foresee any of the many major upsets.

After 52 matches, Kashef has a 67 percent accuracy level. Every day, Kashef processes new data, honing his skills at predicting and updating which team will most likely make it to the next round.

However, as the sentient emotional highs and lows – that come with the adrenaline-fuelled World Cup environment – settle and players acclimatise to the schedule, Kashef’s conservative approach is beginning to produce results, and he now boasts a four-match winning streak.

How did Kashef fare yesterday?

France vs Poland

• Kashef’s prediction: France win – correct
• Al Jazeera’s poll: France win – correct
• Final result: France 3-1 Poland

It’s France V Poland in today’s ‘Round of 16’ knockout game.

Who is going through to the #FIFAWorldCup quarterfinal? Vote below 👇

— AJE Sport (@AJE_Sport) December 4, 2022

An identical result if you round off the percentages is a promising sign that sometimes humans and technology can both get it right.

After a decent showing from the Poles in the early stages, France showed their superiority, with Kylian Mbappe stealing the show with a spectacular brace.

England vs Senegal

• Kashef’s prediction: England win – correct
• Al Jazeera’s poll: Senegal win – incorrect
• Final result: England 3-0 Senegal

For a moment, in the first half, it looked like Al Jazeera’s readers had got it right as Senegal harried Harry Maguire and John Stones and troubled England. However, after Jordan Henderson opened the scoring in the 38th minute, there was going to be only one winner.

It was not just an important win for England, who now face France in the quarter-final, but also for Kashef, who has now secured a 100 percent success rate so far in the round of 16.

England take on Senegal in today’s evening round of 16 knockout game.

Who is going through to the #FIFAWorldCup quarterfinal? Make your prediction below 👇

— AJE Sport (@AJE_Sport) December 4, 2022

Who will make the quarter-finals?

Below you can see how Kashef sees this World Cup panning out, with Croatia, Brazil, Portugal and Spain joining the Netherlands, Argentina, England and France in the quarter-finals.

Predicting match results is no easy task. External factors like team morale or player fitness make a big difference in how the game goes.

See if you can outsmart Kashef and predict today’s winners by playing our AI game here.