FT · World: International Friendly · Wednesday, 03 June 2026

Poland 22 NigeriaMatch recap & Bawler model verdict · Wednesday, 03 June 2026

Poland
22
Draw
Nigeria
> Model verdict
✗ Result against the lean

Pre-match, Bawler had Poland at 34%, draw at 32%, Nigeria at 33%. Against expectation, the match finished 2-2. The model's headline call was Poland to win.

> Pre-match probability vs result
Poland win
34%
Draw
32%
Actual ✓
Nigeria win
33%
> Expected vs actual goals
Model expected (xG)
1.331.31
Total 2.63
Actual
22
Total 4 (+1.4 vs xG)

Match overperformed xG by 1.4 goals. Above-expectation scoring — could be finishing, set-piece luck, or genuine attacking quality the model under-rated.

> Bawler's picks · how they landed
Banker
X2
Pre-match: 78%
✓ Won
Value
1X
Pre-match: 49%
✓ Won
Dark Horse
Draw
Pre-match: 23%
✓ Won
> What we said pre-match
"Draw or Nigeria win (X2) at 78% is the banker because Poland and Nigeria project nearly identically at 1.33 and 1.31 xG respectively, leaving no edge for the home side."

> More from Bawler