arXiv AI

AI World Cup 2026: Benchmarking Large Language Models for End-to-End Football Tournament Prediction

arXiv:2608. 03416v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Large language models (LLMs) are now regularly asked to forecast real-world events, but comparisons are often difficult because models receive different information, use different tools, and are evaluated under different rules.

arXiv Computation and Language
Sep 14

Information Specialization and Constrained Synthesis in Multi-Agent LLM Forecasting: A Prospective Live-Study of the 2026 FIFA World Cup

The study evaluates a multi‑agent large language model system for forecasting outcomes of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Two specialist agents—one quantitative and one news‑focused—produce forecasts that are then reviewed by a critic and combined by a meta‑agent. Results show the news specialist performs best, matching betting market accuracy, while the meta‑agent adds little beyond the specialists’ predictions.

By Julian Varghese, Lucas Bickmann, Sarah Sandmann
arXiv Machine Learning
Sep 10

Forecasting the Winner of a Live Tennis Match

arXiv:2609.07617v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: With the rise of live sports betting in recent years, tennis forecasting has expanded from pre-match prediction to models that update win probabilities...

By Charles Xie, Aneesh Muppidi
arXiv Machine Learning
Aug 31

Biases in Expected Goals Models Confound Finishing Ability

The paper investigates the reliability of Expected Goals (xG) as a measure of finishing skill in soccer, arguing that the common practice of comparing cumulative xG to actual goals is flawed. It presents three hypotheses: high variance and small sample sizes make the deviation metric inadequate, including all shot types can mask true finishing ability, and inherent biases in xG models reduce the apparent gap between expected and actual goals for top finishers. Using an AI‑fairness technique to calibrate xG across player subgroups, the authors demonstrate that standard models underestimate Messi’s goal‑adjusted xG (GAX) by 17% and that his GAX is 27% higher than that of typical elite high‑shot‑volume attackers, revealing him as an even more exceptional finisher than previously thought.

By Jesse Davis, Pieter Robberechts