People all around the world have been tuning in to watch the World Cup this summer. On the pitch, there are stars like Argentina’s Lionel Messi, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Norway’s Erling Haaland, among others.
But online, Bug the Brussels Griffon, Billy Heartnose and more pets are taking over soccer social media.
These pets have gone viral throughout the tournament for “predicting” the winners of each match, with varying results. Whether tapping a soccer ball topped with a country flag or pushing a tennis ball down a Plinko board, each animals’ casual play is being taken by fans as the ultimate sign of victory or defeat.
Bug, based in the United Kingdom, has over 55,000 followers and has become a celebrity for wearing his England jersey and choosing which team will be victorious in upcoming matches. In his videos, the Brussels Griffon stands in front of two mini soccer balls with flags representing each side of the match. Whichever ball he taps is interpreted as his projected winner.
“He’s really clever,” the almost-2-year-old pup’s owner, who didn’t want to be named for privacy reasons, tells TODAY.com. “He’s just a really good boy, just a bit funny looking.”
Bug previously predicted the English Football League Cup, but his owner decided to jump in on the World Cup action. Bug’s first tournament video, which was published on June 11, has over 205,000 views and 11,000 likes.
“He did really well with it. He’s getting them all right,” she says, adding that as of July 8, he’s “only got maybe three wrong. So I feel like that’s pretty good.”
Among Bug’s most popular videos is the match up between England and Croatia, with over 782,000 views. (That matchup occurred June 17, and England won 4-2.)
It’s safe to say that Bug is rooting for Team England.
“He’s a patriot,” his owner says. “He loves the squad. I think we’ve got the best chance.”
Then, there is Billy Heartnose, an adorable tuxedo cat from Ireland, whose owners place flags of the countries competing in front of him, and he taps which one will win.
He has about an 80% success rate, his owner Linka Lin tells TODAY.com. “It’s a decrease from his early days, but we’re still very happy.”
Billy, who will turn 2 in August, is now invested in the World Cup, and it’s become part of his daily routine.
“In the afternoon, he comes to me and starts meowing and shouting, as if, ‘Oh, it’s time. Let’s record a video,’” Lin says, adding that Billy “does things that benefit him. He actually wants the treat as a reward, which is reasonable.”
Lin and her husband, Mark Kelly, have been “very touched” by people’s reactions and their support. It’s especially heartwarming when commenters encourage Billy when he’s on a losing streak.
“A lot of people would come and cheer him up, ask him not to give up,” Lin says, adding that even when people get rude, the true fans will defend Billy.
Elfi, a 2-year-old miniature dachshund from Austria, predicts winners with a custom-made Plinko board that her 21-year-old owner, Oskar Neumann, built. Set up on a couch, she pushes a large tennis ball down the board with the flags of the two countries playing on opposite sides.
Neumann tells TODAY.com that Elfi gets “very excited” when she sees him setting up her prediction board. “She’s very happy and she goes to her place to do the predictions,” he says. “She knows exactly what time it is when I pull out the board and she’s always happy to do this.”
Elfi is new to the social media prediction game, with, as of publication time, 14 videos and over 22,000 followers. She has a 76% success rate, Neumann estimates as of July 10.
When it comes to 4-year-old Simba, or @simbawiththethumbs, he’s been in the game for a couple years, predicting NFL, NHL and NBA games. Simba has gotten used to the routine of heading to his mat and tapping the bell of the team he believes will be the winner.
“He was treat motivated enough to learn how to sit right away, follow my finger, follow a pointer, and then eventually he rang a bell,” owner Jeff Horste says of his furry friend. “He wants to do this every day.”
Yet it wasn’t until the World Cup that people started engaging more with Simba’s profile, hoping he would choose their team. People rooting for Mexico became one of Simba’s biggest supporters after he successfully chose the country as the winner three times in a row.
“It got us into (soccer),” Horste says. “And between my girlfriend being Mexican and Simba just picking Mexico on his own, we started to get a lot more of a following on TikTok and Instagram, and we’ve just been riding all of that support as long as we can.”
His owner says ever since Mexico lost, “He’s in a little bit of a down streak,” adding that as of July 8, “he’s just trying to pick all of the upsets that he wants everybody to lose. He’s 20 and 13 overall.”
The World Cup quarterfinals are now well underway, meaning the pressure’s on for these pets. Their owners say they are embracing all the love and support from soccer fans online.
“He makes me so happy, so it’s really nice to share that joy,” Bug’s owner says. “He’s just such a fun guy so it’s really nice getting all the football fans involved, as well. I didn’t know that much about football when I started it, and I feel like I’ve gotten really involved in the World Cup and the environment, and then having Bug be a part of it is just extra fun for me.”
A duck was seen walking along Paseo de la Reforma in Mexico City, wearing a Team Mexico jersey. We think it’s quack-tastic.
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