Spain beat France 2-0, and Yamal was indeed a difference maker beyond goals and assists — he drew the penalty that led to Spain's opening goal with a smart, aggressive run into the box, and later had a goal disallowed for offside. He did not score or record an assist in the traditional sense, yet his clever play directly created Spain's first goal, validating the prediction's core framing about non-statistical impact. Some coverage noted Spain won comfortably enough that Yamal's 'big moment' still feels pending, but his influence on the match outcome was real and direct.

Belgium defeated the USA 4-1 on July 6, 2026 in the Round of 16, completely reversing the predicted outcome. Charles De Ketelaere scored twice, Hans Vanaken added a third after a goalkeeper error, and Romelu Lukaku sealed it in stoppage time — the USA's only goal was a Malik Tillman free kick. McCarty correctly anticipated Belgium's depth (De Bruyne/Doku/Lukaku as second-half threats, with Lukaku indeed scoring) but was wrong on every other dimension: winner, scoreline, and dominant team.

Spain did win the 2026 World Cup Final over Argentina on July 19, 2026, by a 1-0 scoreline decided in extra time via a Ferran Torres goal in the 106th minute. Spain was statistically dominant — 20 shots to Argentina's 2, an xG of 1.94 vs. 0.20 — but the margin of victory was just one goal, falling well short of the 3+ goal 'comfortable' threshold specified in the resolution criteria. The prediction correctly identified Spain as the winner and cited their technical superiority, but the actual result was narrow rather than comfortable.