Shawk the Hawk joins legacy of World Cup’s animal oracles

Every Fifa World Cup seems to produce an unlikely star away from the football pitch. While players battle for glory and supporters obsess over predictions, animals ranging from octopuses and elephants to cats and camels have repeatedly captured global attention by supposedly forecasting match results.

Now, with the 2026 tournament, a new contender has emerged to continue the tradition.

Shawk the Hawk has released its World Cup predictions, drawing attention from football fans eager to see whether the bird can join the pantheon of famous animal forecasters, reports Gulf News.

Paul the Octopus sets the standard

No animal predictor has achieved greater fame than Paul the Octopus.

The cephalopod, housed in a German aquarium, became a global sensation during the 2010 Fifa World Cup in South Africa.

Before each match, aquarium staffers placed two transparent containers filled with food inside Paul's tank. Each container displayed the flag of one of the competing nations.

Whichever box Paul opened first was considered his prediction.

What followed was an astonishing sequence of correct forecasts. Paul accurately predicted all seven of Germany's matches at the tournament before correctly selecting Spain to defeat the Netherlands in the final.

His perfect record of eight successful predictions elevated him from an aquarium attraction to an international celebrity, earning media coverage across the globe.

Yet Paul's reputation was not entirely flawless. During Euro 2008, he incorrectly forecast Germany to defeat Spain in the final, a reminder that even football's most celebrated animal oracle was not infallible.

A new generation of predictors

Paul's success inspired numerous successors.

Among the most notable was Shaheen the Camel, which attracted widespread media attention during the 2014 Fifa World Cup.

Based in the United Arab Emirates, the camel correctly predicted several matches during the tournament's knockout phase and quickly became a talking point among football fans.

However, as the competition progressed, some of Shaheen's later predictions proved inaccurate, preventing the camel from matching Paul's legendary achievement.

The same tournament also featured Nelly the Elephant, whose method involved kicking a football towards one of two goals representing competing nations.

While Nelly successfully predicted Germany's eventual triumph, the elephant failed to maintain consistent accuracy throughout the competition.

Brazil's contribution to the trend came in the form of Cabeção, a sea turtle whose predictions were determined by choosing fish placed beneath competing nations' flags.

The turtle correctly forecast Brazil's opening victory over Croatia but later failed to predict the outcome of Brazil's goalless draw with Mexico.

From cats to crocodiles and hippos

The fascination with animal forecasters continued beyond the 2014 World Cup.

During the 2018 tournament in Russia, Achilles the Cat emerged as one of the competition's most recognisable non-human personalities.

The deaf white cat, which lived in a museum in Saint Petersburg, made predictions by selecting food bowls marked with national flags.

Achilles correctly anticipated several high-profile results, including Russia's victory in the tournament opener. However, the cat's success rate declined later in the competition, with estimates suggesting an overall accuracy of roughly 60% to 70%.

Another memorable predictor was Harry the Crocodile, who gained attention during the 2010 World Cup after correctly forecasting several matches involving Australia.

Like many animal forecasters before and after him, Harry eventually produced a number of incorrect predictions.

Fiona the Hippo also joined the growing list of animal pundits during the 2018 World Cup.

The Cincinnati Zoo resident correctly predicted some selected fixtures but was generally viewed as more of a crowd-pleasing attraction than a serious forecasting phenomenon.

Shawk the Hawk takes flight

Whether Shawk the Hawk will achieve the same legendary status as Paul the Octopus remains to be seen.

For now, the bird has become the latest entrant in one of football's strangest traditions, adding a touch of fun and unpredictability to the buildup for the 2026 Fifa World Cup.

As fans debate favourites, analysts crunch statistics and experts offer their forecasts, Shawk's predictions serve as a reminder that sometimes the most entertaining voices in football come from the animal kingdom.

And if history has taught us anything, supporters may end up paying closer attention to a hawk than to many of the tournament's human pundits.