Athos Salomé is 39 years old and, if his latest World Cup 2026 prediction is anything to go by, he is leaning hard into colour as much as football. The self-styled Living Nostradamus says the teams that survive the tournament will be those “wrapped in the colours of flame”, with Spain, France and England all in his top group of contenders.

Why Salomé’s forecast is built around red and fire

His language is the part that makes the story. “There is red. A great deal of red or orange. I see heavy, deep, dominant colours. Colours of fire,” Salomé told dailyrecord.co.uk. He added that the national sides that survive the competition will be those wrapped in flame-like colours.

Spain fit that idea most neatly. Salomé called Spain “the literal embodiment” of his vision, while also backing France as a “strong title contender” with “raw physical power and unparalleled squad depth”. England also makes the list, alongside Portugal, Morocco, Netherlands and Argentina.

The football case for the favourites

There is a football angle under the mysticism, even if Salomé is clearly selling the prophecy first. France's last five World Cup matches read 4W-0D-1L, which is the strongest recent record of the three headline picks. Spain and England are both on 3W-1D-1L across their last five World Cup matches, which is enough to keep them in the conversation without pretending the race is settled.

Morocco are the more interesting outsider in the list. Salomé describes them as a potential dark horse, and their last five World Cup matches, 3W-0D-2L, at least give the pick some footballing shape. That is the part of the forecast that feels less like pure theatre and more like a speculative but defensible shout.

The broader point is simple enough. Salomé has named seven top contenders, including Spain, Portugal, Morocco, England, France, Netherlands and Argentina, but the pitch-side evidence still points most strongly to the same familiar names. The colour talk makes the forecast memorable. The recent World Cup records make the Spain, France and England picks look less eccentric than they first sound.

Compiled by the ClutchBrief Desk with AI assistance, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →