The 2022 Tech World Cup.
With the World Cup kicking off this Sunday between hosts Qatar and South American nation Ecuador, who would be favourites to win the ultimate prize if it was solely based on which countries were the most technologically advanced rather than their football skill? Interestingly enough, four of the five teams that are the highest ranked in technology advancements can actually meet each other in the semi-finals of the tournament. Sadly, it wouldn't be coming home if England were seeded based on this list but nevertheless, here would be your top four picks for the World Cup, if it was based on technological advancement. And if you fancy a float at one of these teams to actually win the World Cup, we've added their odds as of the 14th of November of the likelihood of them becoming world cup champions. Thanks to Global Finance for comprising this list.
5. Japan (200/1)
Credit: Goal.com
Kicking us off is Japan, who have made it to every tournament since 1998 and were joint hosts with South Korea in 2002. The Japanese have embraced technology as almost their second culture, behind ancient ethics and practices like no other country on earth. From robots to their high-speed efficient railway system to impressive vending machines, the citizens of Japan appear to live decades or even hundreds of years in the future. Just take a look at Tokyo, not only can you find historic ancient shrines but every Skyscraper you come across is also a towering shrine for tech. All the technological advancements that Japan has made since it started delving in the tech industry, seemed to be a resolution to problems that the country and its population were facing. Japan was one of the first countries to understand the true power of technology and has embraced its benefits and you can clearly see this if you ever get to visit the land of the rising sun.
4. Switzerland (66/1)
Credit: Goal.com
Your first semi-finalist of the World Cup is Switzerland, boasting a great mixture of both young talent and experience. Switzerland are always on top of being a leader in innovation and technology across the glove. The country remains at the forefront of science, technological research and artificial intelligence and is always quick to utilize new technologies to create robust innovation across a wide number of tech industries. Not to mention that Switzerland's healthcare innovation is arguably the best in the world. The country has the highest total AI patents in the European health care industry. And as Switzerland continue to invest in new technologies, we can expect a continuous production of smarter appliances to appear across all industries. So with that in mind, Switzerland would have a strong chance with is all around ability across all industries being excellent.
3. Denmark (28/1)
Credit: Goal.com
Coming in at number 3 is another European nation, Denmark. The most likely of the five to go all the way, could Denmark be the surprise package of the World Cup? Denmark has always provided phenomenal placements and conditions for worldwide tech companies looking to test and develop new solutions related to IT. The country's capital Copenhagen is home to several innovation and test labs and experimental spaces. Denmark also offers world-class IT infrastructure, and is an exceptional place for consumers willing to play an active part in developing new technologies. It's country's organisations showcase a strong ability and willingness to embrace new technologies, transforming working procedures to be efficient and put employees best interests first. These have been some of the main reasons why major tech players in the industry such as Singularity University and IBM have made recent investments in Denmark.
2. USA (100/1)
Credit: Goal.com
Your first finalist would be none of other than the United States of America, a team who are always considered a wild card for every world cup. It goes without saying that USA is at the forefront of a lot of tech industries in a wide range of departments. It is the largest producer of high-technology manufacturing with a global share of 31%. This includes the production of spacecraft, aircraft, semiconductors, computers, pharmaceuticals, and measuring and control instruments. You only have to look at the amount of big tech companies that have established themselves that originated from the USA such as Apple, Microsoft and Amazon to see the reasons why the US will always be such a huge player in technology. Despite most of you probably thinking the USA would win this comfortably, they are slightly edged by one of the hosts from the 2002 world cup.
1. South Korea (200/1)
Credit: Goal.com
The 200/1 underdogs South Korea are your 2022 Tech World Cup winners should the world cup final be based on who has the best technological advancement. Not only is South Korea the most technologically advanced country of 2022, but it has also earned this title in such a short space of time. When you think about where the country sat just over 100 years ago it was an agrarian-based Japanese colony. Thanks to robust skills and investment in R&D, South Korea is leading in the development of frontier technologies with potential to transform production processes, stimulate the entry of new firms, and the launch of ground-breaking products and applications. And when you think of big tech companies, you only have to think about Samsung in which is an example in itself as to why South Korea sits on the throne. One of the world's and South Korea’s largest company, it operates in a huge range of industries like electronics, insurance, construction and shipbuilding. It is South Korea's highest earner for its country's gross domestic product.
So there you go, the 2022 Tech World Cup if it was based solely on technological advancement. It is extremely unlikely that South Korea will win the actual FIFA world cup. But if it does happen, we predicted it first...just saying.
Leave a comment