GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Two elephants trudged across a makeshift football field at Mexico’s Guadalajara Zoo in a wacky attempt to predict the score of the 2026 World Cup’s opening game.

The creatures faced a prophetic choice: munch on the grass on the side marked with a Mexican flag, or opt for the greenery on the opposing South African side.

Their split-second choice to amble over to the former consolidated the prediction that Mexico will emerge as the winner of the highly anticipated match on 11 June.

This fortune-telling exercise follows in the footsteps of Paul the Octopus, whose predictions gained worldwide fame during South Africa’s 2010 World Cup.

“The idea is that the animals are going to make predictions about different matches that will be played,” zookeeper Ivan Reynoso told AFP.

Next up, the gorillas Chenchi and Faustina were presented with two pinatas shaped like player jerseys — one from Spain, and the other from Uruguay.

There was a tense pause until one of the primates suddenly went for Uruguay’s shirt, suggesting the South American nation will win the 26 June match.

“It’s clear who won!” one zookeeper exclaimed excitedly.

A puma named Muluk seemed sure that South Korea will triumph against the Czech Republic, and six giraffes hedged their bets with the Democratic Republic of Congo over Colombia.

Reynoso said the betting “stimulates many senses” for the animals on top of providing entertainment for an audience giddy with excitement ahead of the world’s biggest football bonanza.

“This kind of activity enriches them a great deal, not only visually for the audience but for them as well,” he said.