Can 2026 World Cup Winner Actually Predict Next World Series Champion?

BusinessSportsMoneyCan 2026 World Cup Winner Actually Predict Next World Series Champion?ByChuck Murr,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Chuck analyzes and writes about baseball, soccer & other sports.Follow AuthorJun 13, 2026, 02:13pm EDTTORONTO: A soccer ball on the field near third base during batting practice before the Toronto Blue Jays' MLB game against the Chicago White Sox on June 27, 2014 at Rogers Centre. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)Getty ImagesBaseball fans, pay attention to the 2026 World Cup if you want the inside scoop on who is going to win the World Series this fall.Many will argue it is utterly impossible and simply ridiculous to consider. Just as many may look at numbers from these two seemingly unrelated and dissimilar events and say wait a minute, is that really true?A coin flip will give you a 50-50 chance. A look at World Cup winners improves those odds – even if it is sheer coincidence. If history holds, should a team from South America lift the FIFA World Cup Trophy on July 19, bank on the American League champ this fall. If a European team triumphs, take the National League.Looking at World Series results in years when the World Cup has been played since the first great soccer tournament was staged in 1930:When a South American team wins, the American League is 8-1.When a European team prevails, the National League is 8-4.The NL also is 2-0 when World Cups were cancelled in 1942 and 1946 due to World War II.South America is 1-0 when the World Series was cancelled in 1994 due to the players’ strike.No team from the continents of Africa, Asia, Australia or North America has won soccer’s quadrennial festival.The Early YearsThe St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, Uruguay and Italy were big winners early. So were the Allies in winning World War II that canceled two World Cups.MORE FOR YOUThe AL went 2-0 in years Uruguay won and 1-2 when European soccer clubs won.The biggest Ya...