Thanks to Kath for prompting this. There is a correlation between national football team success and countries with imperial/colonial pasts, especially those involved in the transatlantic slave trade and exploitation of West Africa. Recent research directly quantifies this. A University of Zurich AI study in 2026 simulated the 2026 FIFA World Cup, 1,500 times and found that colonial history continues to shape outcomes on the pitch. Former European colonial powers benefit significantly from players with family roots in former colonies, especially in Africa and in the Caribbean. Source: https://www.news.uzh.ch/en/articles/media/2026/colonial-legacies-soccer.html Top FIFA-ranked teams as of June 2026, often align with this … Continue reading Scotland need not be ashamed as colonialism explains world cup success