The link between bird diversity and success at the 2026 World Cup

Bird watching and football are often considered two different hobbies. During the week before the World Cup, I tried without success to find a Dartford Warbler in the Cornwall countryside. However, I did see a new species of bird, the Great Northern Diver. Just 72 hours later, I was at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, witnessing Korean fans enjoying tequila with their Mexican friends, while following news about Feyenoord player Hwang In-beom. Interestingly, in every match at the 2026 World Cup, except one, the winning team is always the team with more bird species than the opponent. The US team not only defeated Paraguay 4-1 but also outperformed with 1,167 bird species compared to 712. Australia also surprised when winning 2-0 against Türkiye with 893 bird species compared to 505. It can be seen that the connection between biodiversity and success in sports is gradually becoming clearer. Ecuador, with 1,703 bird species, was the only country to lose when they were beaten by Ivory Coast with a late goal. Although Ecuador hit the woodwork three times, this shows they still have a strong survival instinct. Is there a serious connection here? It's possible that this is just a coincidence, but there could also be a deeper truth to the link between biodiversity and sporting success. Before Uruguay's match against Saudi Arabia, I looked at the countries with the lowest expected number of goals — South Africa, Cape Verde, Tunisia and Curacao, and found that the latter three also had low expected numbers of birds. Although there is no definite conclusion, it is interesting to think about this. I started a competition with my family to see who could see the most bird species in the UK in a year. My dad, who is retired, now leads with a Cattle Egret. My mother was just surpassed by my sister in the rankings. When it comes to our central question, there are many ideas but few conclusions. Some initial suggestions suggest that: i) Countries with diverse habitats have a higher likelihood of possessing biodiversity and economic advantage; ii) Geographically larger countries often have larger populations, which helps them develop talent; iii) A theory from my mother linking bird migration patterns, the Gulf Stream and ideal weather conditions for soccer. However, we need help from experts. I called Nick Volpe, who discovered this connection, while he was on a bird-watching trip to Peru. He said: "It all started when I saw some Turkish fans crying after the match. I joked that they also cried because we beat them in terms of birds. But then I realized that this is true for most matches." Nick Volpe has shown that bird diversity is often associated with proximity to the equator, such as Peru, Ecuador and Venezuela, small countries that still have incredible biodiversity and habitat. They have the Andes and the Amazon, the two most biodiverse ecosystems in the world.