CHONBURI — 14 July 2026, Moo Deng, the globally beloved pygmy hippopotamus at Thailand’s Khao Kheow Open Zoo, has joined the pre-match excitement by predicting that France and England will meet in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final.
The prediction event was held on 14 July at the zoo’s hippopotamus exhibit in Si Racha district, Chon Buri province, ahead of the World Cup semi-finals.
Narongwit Chodchoy, director of Khao Kheow Open Zoo, and the animal keepers prepared fruit platters carved with the names and decorated with the national flags of the four semi-finalists — France, Spain, England and Argentina — allowing Moo Deng to make her selections.
For the first semi-final between France and Spain, Moo Deng headed straight to the fruit platter representing France, drawing cheers from tourists gathered to watch the event.
She then chose England’s fruit platter over Argentina’s in the second semi-final prediction, forecasting a France-England showdown in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final.
Narongwit said the activity was organised to entertain visitors while also promoting animal enrichment. Using fruit as dietary enrichment encourages the animals to move, exercise, reduce stress and display natural behaviours while receiving an appropriate diet.
The zoo stressed that Moo Deng’s prediction activity was organised solely for entertainment and public relations purposes, regardless of whether her predictions prove correct, and was not intended to promote or encourage gambling, which is illegal in Thailand.
