World Cup Eliminations: A Day of Pain for Dutch, German, and Japanese Fans

Dutch, German and Japanese supporters woke up to the same dull thud in the stomach: elimination. Three proud football nations, three brutal exits from the World Cup in the space of a single day.

Germany and the Netherlands both went out on penalties, the coldest way to leave any tournament. Paraguay held their nerve from the spot to send the Germans home. Morocco did the same to the Dutch, who saw their campaign end in a shootout that will linger in Dutch conversations for years.

Japan’s story was different, but no less painful. They stood on the brink of a famous win, only for Brazil to find an equaliser in injury time. One late goal, and with it an entire nation’s hopes were snatched away.

While giants fell on the pitch, one man quietly held his ground at the top of a very different table.

Instinct over spreadsheets

Guido de Bruijn of Agrofair remains the frontrunner in the prediction rankings, still sitting in first place. No algorithms. No models. Just gut feeling.

“I think the longer you think about it, the less likely you are to get it right. Your first instinct is often the best,” he says. On a day when coaches and players agonised over every decision, De Bruijn’s philosophy sounded disarmingly simple — and, so far, unarguably effective.

He leads the field with a total of 5,480 points, clinging to top spot as the knockout chaos rips through the World Cup bracket.

Chasing him is Jose Juan Garcia Teruel of Asetir from Almería, 56 points back in second place on 5,424. That gap is not insurmountable, but it leaves De Bruijn with a cushion heading into the next round of fixtures.

British horticultural supplier Patrick Harte of CambridgeHOK has surged into third with 5,368 points, part of a reshuffle just behind the leader that hints at a tense run-in.

The pack tightens

Behind the podium places, the standings have tightened into a fierce scrap.

Hans Borsboom (Herik Legal), Mark Libregts (JNV Produce) and Harold van Mastwijk (Lehmann&Troost) now occupy fourth, fifth and sixth, all within striking distance if a round of results breaks their way.

Slim Kooli of Canadian fruit and vegetable company Courchesne Larose has climbed to seventh, edging himself into the conversation as the tournament deepens and the margins grow thinner.

Then come the new and returning faces in the top 10.

‘Red Devil’ Frank Meulewaeter, who works for Beti Ornamental Plants in Ethiopia, has broken into eighth place for the first time. It’s a symbolic step: from chasing the pack to sitting among the leaders when every prediction starts to feel like a final.

Italian lettuce and herb grower Sandro Miglino of Fratelli Cafaro 1989 has fought his way back into the elite group in ninth, while Norwegian chief economist Christian Anton Smedshaug of Landkreditt rounds out the top 10. His presence underlines the variety of this competition: lawyers, growers, economists and suppliers, all living and dying with every scoreline.

Three matches, one turning point

The next set of fixtures could redraw the map again: Ivory Coast v Norway, France v Sweden, and Mexico v Ecuador.

At the sharp end of the table, the predictions are already in:

• The leader has gone for 1–2 in Cote d’Ivoire v Norway, 2–0 in France v Sweden, and 2–0 again in Mexico v Ecuador.
• Second place mirrors the 1–2 and 2–0 in the first two matches but calls 1–1 in the third.
• Third sticks with 1–2, 2–0 and opts for 1–0 Mexico.
• Fourth backs 0–2, 3–1 and 1–0.
• Fifth leans towards 1–1, 2–0 and 2–1.
• Sixth goes 0–2, 1–0, 3–0.
• Seventh predicts 1–2, 2–0, 2–1.
• Eighth follows with 0–2, 3–1, 1–0.
• Ninth takes a bolder 1–3, 3–0, 1–1.
• Tenth returns to 1–2, 2–0, 2–1.

Tiny differences, big consequences. One late goal in Mexico v Ecuador, one shock in Ivory Coast v Norway, and the leaderboard could flip.

The stakes are clear enough: €1,000 awaits the eventual overall winner. Yet with several rounds still to come, nobody can afford a complacent evening in front of the television.

Costa Rica on top

Beyond the individual drama, the country averages tell their own story. Participants from Costa Rica currently lead the way, ahead of those from Guatemala and Switzerland. On a day when traditional powers stumbled on the field, lesser-heralded nations in the prediction game have quietly claimed the upper hand.

World Cups are built on fine margins — a missed penalty here, an injury-time equaliser there. The same tension now runs through this prediction contest.

For De Bruijn and the chasing pack, the question is simple: will instinct keep winning, or will one bold set of picks turn this leaderboard on its head?