Categories: OLD Media Moves

Reuters Breakingviews predicted Germany win back in December

In December, Reuters Breakingviews editors used its statistics and analytics skills and applied them to the World Cup, declaring “Germany is going to win the soccer World Cup.”

On Sunday, that prediction proved accurate, when Germany beat Argentina 1-0 in the final.

Breakingviews editors used their “Soccernomics” calculator, based on players’ transfer value, countries’ economic and social factors, to crunch the numbers. Of the 32 national teams in the tournament, Germany had all-round strength, Breakingviews said.

Across the four criteria in the calculator, Germany topped the list, according to Reuters Breakingviews predictions in December.

Check out the “Soccernomics” calculator here. It did have Brazil finishing second. Brazil finished fourth.

Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.