Joachim Klement apologises after Dutch World Cup hopes crumble

German economist Joachim Klement publicly apologised to Dutch fans and players after his forecast that the Netherlands would lift the World Cup proved wrong, as the team exited in the round of 16 against Morocco, and he now says he would place his money on Spain.

In the radio programme Wijnand en Jamie in de Ochtend on 3FM, Klement said: “Aan de spelers van Oranje en het hele Nederlandse volk: mijn excuses als ik jullie valse hoop heb gegeven, maar wat hadden jullie een pech. Denk maar aan de ‘net-niet-redding’ van Verbruggen tijdens de penaltyserie.”

Klement has become known for correctly predicting the World Cup winner every four years since 2014, having named Germany in 2014, France in 2018 and Argentina in 2022.

His 2022 model detailed a path for the Netherlands: an easy group stage, a narrow win over Morocco, a victory over Canada, a quarter‑final triumph over France by an own goal, a semifinal thriller against Spain, and a final against Portugal – a scenario that never materialised.

The tournament instead saw the Dutch side eliminated after a penalty shoot‑out loss to Morocco in Monterrey, ending their title hopes earlier than Klement’s scenario allowed.

Reflecting on the outcome, Klement added: “Wat vooral overduidelijk bleek, is hoe dicht de wedstrijden bij elkaar liggen. Hoe flinterdun de grens is tussen winnen en verliezen,” highlighting the thin margins that defined the competition.

When asked about his new favourite for the title, Klement replied that he would now put his money on Spain.

Whether this new bet will help him recover his reputation remains to be seen.