'My World Cup prediction was an opinion, not a direct hotline to Heaven'

Pastor Aloysius Bugingo has defended his prediction for the 2026 FIFA World Cup winner after Spain lifted the trophy instead of the teams he had earlier tipped to win the tournament.

Before the World Cup, Bugingo had named France, Portugal, Argentina or Brazil as the likely champions.

Following Spain’s victory, some critics accused him of making a “fake prophecy,” but the House of Prayer Ministries pastor insists his remarks were never meant to be taken as a prophecy.

Speaking about the criticism, Bugingo clarified that his prediction was based purely on his passion for football and not divine revelation.

“Messi isn’t the Messiah. In football, I support whoever has something to offer, which is why I chose Portugal over Argentina. I don’t support Ronaldo or Messi; I’m a football fan, and I support whoever plays well.

It wasn’t a prophecy because I never claimed it was one. It was simply my personal opinion as a football fan,” he said.

Bugingo further dismissed those mocking him, arguing that one of the teams he predicted still reached the World Cup final.  He also claimed Argentina’s defeat was a result of placing too much attention on Lionel Messi instead of the team.

“ What made them lose is wanting to share God’s authority with a person (Messi). They shifted the attention from Argentina to Messi and God showed them who’s the one in charge and even stopped the supply of the ball from reaching Messi,” he said.

For the record, Argentina never registered any shot on goal during the finals owing to a compact Spain defensive formation.