WE’VE had otters, parakeets, koalas and, of course, Paul the octopus.
All shooting to global fame for somehow correctly predicting the results at World Cups from yesteryear.
Arnold the armadillo is SunSport’s psychic animal for the 2026 World Cup Credit: Noah's Ark Zoo Farm
Arnold made his World Cup predictions Credit: SunSport
He lives at Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm in Bristol with his brother Ernie Credit: Noah's Ark Zoo Farm
Arnold is five years old and is a six-banded armadillo Credit: Noah's Ark Zoo Farm
Well, now the is here.
And SunSport have discovered our very own psychic animal for this summer’s tournament. Yes, that’s right.
Say hello to Arnold the armadillo.
Arnold showed off his psychic powers when he correctly revealed the outcome of the .
And SunSport headed to Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm in Bristol before the World Cup to meet our oracle Arnold and find out exactly how England will get on – and who will lift the trophy on July 19.
Before Arnold makes his big reveal, though, we wanted to find out a bit about him – and his brother Ernie – and how the Noah’s Ark team discovered his supernatural abilities.
Armadillo translates as ‘little armoured one’ and they are found across South, Central and North America – from Paraguay to Panama and even one species in the USA, primarily .
Keeper Emily told SunSport: “A really cool fact about armadillos is they’re actually related to anteaters and sloths, so they belong in the same family group as those.
Paul the octopus gained worldwide attention in 2010 Credit: EPA
The cheeky chappy is always having fun and playing around Credit: Noah's Ark Zoo Farm
Arnold predicted the outcome of the FA Cup final Credit: SunSport / Noah's Ark Zoo Farm
SunSport headed to Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm before the World Cup Credit: SunSport
“There are 21 species of armadillo alive today in the world and we have the six-banded armadillo here at Noah’s Ark.
“We have two armadillos here, brothers Ernie and Arnold who are five years old.
“They’re quite different personality-wise.
“Arnold is the little superstar doing the predictions.
“He is definitely the more confident, he’s always the one first on the scene trying to see what’s going on and is quite a cheeky chappy.
“These guys are insectivores so eat insects and vegetation in the wild – here they get vegetables, insects, mealworms and even eggs for protein.
“We’ve always had our little sneaky suspicions that Arnold was a bit of a psychic.
“Most recently, he predicted the FA Cup final between Man City beat Chelsea and he predicted that absolutely right so we’re continuing on the trend with these World Cup predictions.”
So, the all-important question, how will get on in North America?
Arnold revealed his psychic predictions by choosing to eat the mealworms out of either the football pinata with the England flag – or the one for their .
And now we can reveal exactly what’s going to happen…!
ENGLAND VS CROATIA
Just the start Thomas Tuchel will have wanted, kicking off with a win .
But only just.
Arnold opted for the conventional, more direct route out of the gate and suggests Croatia will enjoy a strong start.
England, though, get back into the game before Arnold took another sniff at the Croatian pinata – before ultimately deciding it will be the Three Lions who get the all-important clinching late winner.
Arnold had a sniff at the Croatia pinata Credit: SunSport
He eventually decided England would win their opening game Credit: SunSport ENGLAND VS GHANA
Look away now, Three Lions fans.
Unfortunately, Arnold has revealed that Antoine Semenyo’s Ghana are going to cause a mighty shock in by stunning England in their second game.
He took the scenic route through the logs as England take the scenic route through Group L.
And there is no denying the fact that Ghana will strike the conclusive blow and snatch all three points.
Ghana will cause a big shock in Boston Credit: SunSport
Keeper Emily has a wonderful bond with the animal
ENGLAND VS PANAMA
Phew.
Thankfully, with the pressure on, England will get back on track in their final group game and put the Ghana disappointment behind them by seeing off Panama.
Arnold again waddled his way around the logs and headed straight for the England pinata.
No mistake, no messing. Convincing stuff.
England will get back on track by beating Panama Credit: SunSport
Arnold devoured the mealworms in the pinata Credit: SunSport
Two wins out of three is not too bad Credit: SunSport
It is good news for the Three Lions Credit: SunSport
OVERVIEW
So, not the three wins England fans would have wanted – but it’s a darn sight better than some previous World Cup group stage campaigns.
Those two wins over Croatia and Panama will be enough to safely see the Three Lions progress to the last 32.
Roll on the knockout stages…
- To book your visit to see Arnold and the other 300 animals across 75 species at Noah’s Ark Zoo Fa rm, buy your tickets at www.noahsarkzoofarm.co.uk
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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