Can football, finally, return home? Goldman Sachs Group Inc. thinks yes.
The Bank of America predicts that England will win its first major football competition in 55 years after Belgium, the first selection, were eliminated from Euro 2020 on Friday.
“Will be coming home (for sure)” – wrote Christian Schnittker from Goldman Bank in a post,
referring to the 1996 song lyrics by Three Lions (Football’s Coming Home), which is sung – often ironically – by England fans.
Goldman used data from about 6,000 games played since 1980 to work out its probability model, which takes into account factors such as the team’s current strength, along with recent results, the effects of the game advantage that will are played at home and if a country is a “tournament team” that exceeds expectations during competitions.
“Forecasts still remain highly uncertain, even with the most sophisticated statistical techniques,” Goldman wrote in the first report published in May. “That’s why football is so exciting to watch.”
England will face Denmark in Wednesday’s semi-final of Euro 2020, which takes place a year late due to the coronavirus pandemic. Italy and Spain will meet in the semifinals on Tuesday.
