Betting Odds On The World Cup
Soccer is the most popular sport in the world, both for fans and bettors alike. And though there are soccer tournaments and marquee leagues in play year-round, the sport’s most revered event – the FIFA World Cup – only comes around once every four years. Because of its sheer scope and popularity (and the extremely limited nature of the event itself), betting odds on the World Cup are always outsized, with thousands of money lines, spreads, totals, props, and all kinds of other wagers posted at online sportsbooks and betting shops all over the world.
This year’s big contest – the 8th Women’s World Cup in history – kicks off June 7th and runs a full month, ending on July 7th. It is officially called “The FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019.” That said, most bettors start putting money on the line long before the tournament officially begins, posting action on various Group Play futures and even on the many World Cup qualifiers that take place months before the big dance really gets underway.
This year, the FIFA Women’s World Cup is being held in France. The officiating and team selection is largely uninfluenced by politics, which separates the World Cup from the Olympics in that regard, and fans and bettors alike can rest assured that the 2019 edition of the tournament is going to be a pure sport and little else to distract from this world-class competition.
The Men’s tournament will take place in 2022 and will be the 22nd World Cup in its history. The host country for 2022 in Qatar. And for the very first time its history, the tournament will not be played in the summer months. FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will span from November 21st- December 18th.
World Cup Group Play Betting Odds
The World Cup features 32 teams (31 who qualify and an automatic berth for the home country’s squad), and play is divided into 8 groups, labeled A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H. Each of these Group Stage mini-tournaments is comprised of four teams, and the two winners on aggregate advance to the second round, which is called the Knockout Stage (and is played in a single-elimination format).
While some groups have distinct, heavy favorites to win, others are more balanced. However, there is always one group that is so full of talent that an outright favorite doesn’t present itself easily. This group is traditionally called the “Group of Death,” and it is historically the most difficult to wager on.
Betting On The World Cup Group Of Death
Betting on the World Cup Group of Death is no small undertaking, and successful wagers require equal measures of insight, historical knowledge, and luck. This year’s Group of Death has been harder to identify than many in years past (as this is the first time that group placement has been determined solely by FIFA World Ranking position), but most analysts believe that there are a couple of contenders.
Group B, which features both Spain and Portugal, is stacked at the top, and while the former is the favorite, the latter could easily upset their geographical neighbors. Group F features Germany (the overall tournament favorite) and Mexico, and while the odds gap is huge, Mexico has been playing stellar soccer of late and could give the Germans a taxing run in early play.
The most balanced group – per the odds – is actually Group H, with Colombia, Poland, Senegal, and Japan all within a few hundred points of each other on the betting boards. If the Group of Death is the most competitive division of the first round, it seems that Group H best fits the bill.
Betting On The World Cup Group Of Life
If there is a Group of Death, there must also be its counterpart. Thus, betting on the World Cup Group of Life is – by most measures – the easiest matchup in group play to pick correctly. Critics say that Group A – featuring a relatively underwhelming Russia team – should be the easiest to pick, with the host nation advancing to the Knockout Stage.
However, per the odds, that distinction actually belongs to Group E, where Brazil is trending at 1000 points above Switzerland, its nearest competitor. Of course, in the early round, Brazil always seems to be a sure thing, missing the Group Stage cut only 5 times in their 20 World Cup appearances.
Betting Odds On The USA In The World Cup
In the history of Women’s World Cup play, only one national team has won the most titles since its start: the USA. That means that the betting odds on the USA in the World Cup are – far more often than not – conducive to an effective moneymaking strategy for the average sports gambler. And as usual, the USA is currently trending as the co-favorite with France to win again.
Overall, the USA holds just about every World Cup record there is. They’ve won the tournament three times – more than any other nation. (Germany has two titles.) Additionally, the USA also has the best World Cup single-game winning percentage, lowest losing percentage, the most total tournament points, and the largest goal differential all-time. USA’s last World Cup victory came in 2015, and the team finished in 2nd place in 2011’s tournament.
The USA has also produced all-time great players like Mia Hamm, Alex Morgan, and more, many of whom are household names.
Betting Odds On Germany In The World Cup
After Brazil, Germany – the defending FIFA World Cup champion – is arguably the most successful club in World Cup history. The team has played in 18 World Cups, they’ve won the tournament 4 times, and they’ve finished in second- and third-place four times each. This means that Germany has “podiumed” at the World Cup more than any other team in history. As such, the betting odds on Germany in the World Cup this year are quite optimistic, as they are co-favorites with Brazil at +450 to win it all. That said, Germany has only played Brazil in the World Cup Final one time, losing 2-0 to the South American powerhouse in 2002.
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2019 FIFA World Cup Players To Watch
While there are arguably soccer superstars on just about every one of the 24 teams playing in the tournament, the 2019 FIFA World Cup players to watch are obviously going to be the big names on the top teams. Though anyone could step up and make a series-changing play at any time, it’s more likely than not that the headlines will be dominated by folks most of the sporting world is already familiar with. The following players are the ones to watch, particularly on the odds boards as the tournament approaches:
Wendie Renard
Renard has been a member of the Lyon club team since 2006 and almost instantly became an everyday player. She brought her team to multiple league titles but her real strength shines on the international level. Having been on the international team since the U19 years, she has the leadership needed to bring France to the next stages.
Her near two dozen goals across over 100 international matches representing France make her a competitor to keep your eye on. While she plays defense, she still gets involved on the offensive end, receiving many honors for her individual play, including the FIFA Women’s World Cup All-Star and Dream Teams.
Tobin Heath
This New Jersey native, University of North Carolina player has led Team USA for many years. She has 11 years of experience on the international team and has been playing for the Portland Thorns FC since 2013. Her 150-international match experience proves that she will always keep a level head and be a great role model for the younger female athletes.
In the last World Cup, she scored a goal in the 54th minute of the Finals, helping the US win over Japan. During the 2016 Rio Olympic Qualifiers, she scored two goals and was named the US Soccer Female Player of the Year as well that year. Her expertise has not slacked since her ankle surgery in 2018, as she was one of the five nominees for the same award after coming back from injury.
Dzsenifer Marozsán
After Messi, Neymar is perhaps the biggest name on the pitch for this year’s World Cup. At only 26, he’s one of the sport’s biggest names in the prime of his career. Playing for co-favorite Brazil should also put him in the spotlight at most sportsbooks.
Injury cut short Neymar’s 2014 World Cup appearance, where he fractured a vertebra in the quarter-final against Colombia, effectively crippling Brazil’s chances at a title. Still, Neymar managed to match Messi with 4 total goals in that appearance, and with his healthy presence this year, Brazil could get over the hump and take home their first World Cup trophy in 16 years.
How To Read Betting Odds
When discussing how to read betting odds, you first must know the various types of odds in which you may see betting lines. There are American odds, fractional odds, and decimal odds. American odds come in the form of a rounded out number that has either a plus or a minus in front of it. The smaller the number a team has set as its odds, the more likely it is to win. So the smaller the number, the better the chances. For example, if you are betting on the World Cup and you see that the USA has +600 odds, Germany has +200 odds, and England has -200 odds, then the USA is least likely to win, while England is the favorite. Fractional odds are what you will most likely see if you are betting overseas. An example of fractional odds on a World Cup match would be if the Netherlands had 4/7 odds compared to Portugal’s 3/2 odds, you can see that Portugal has odds that equal more than 1 (3/2 = 1.5) and 4/7 is less than 1 (4/7 = .57). Just like American odds, the favorite is the lower number, so the Netherlands would be the favorite in that matchup. Finally, decimal odds are probably the most confusing way to read odds which is why American and fractional are the standard but they are still fairly simple to understand. Decimal odds multiply the amount you are putting on the line, by the decimal odds given. The answer to that math equation is how much you will win, including what you bet.
Types Of World Cup Bets
The three most popular types of lines to bet on when wagering on the World Cup, or soccer in general, are the point spread, money lines, and total, but it doesn’t end there. You can enjoy parlaying bets, and there is a huge selection of prop bets on the World Cup as well.
If you are betting on the point spread, you must know that the oddsmakers first need to choose who should be the favorite in every matchup and set a prediction for how many goals the favorite will win by. If you bet on the favorite to win a point spread bet, they must score more goals than the set total from the oddsmakers. This means you covered the spread and won the bet. If you bet on the underdog, to win the bet they can still lose the match, they just can’t lose by more than the set amount shown in the point spread.
Betting on the World Cup money line is a very popular bet. These are for players that like to keep it simple and not allow a number of goals to dictate their bet. Moneyline bets are simply picking the team you think will win. It’s as simple as that.
World Cup totals bets are also called over/under bets and they are another one of the more popular types of World Cup bets. These wagers require players to bet on the total amount of goals scored combined between the two teams playing. So for example, if the total or over/under is set at four and a half between USA and Brazil, if you take the over, you are betting that the team will score five or more points, while the under would be four or less.
World Cup Parlay betting is just like any parlay bet for any sport. You wager on two or more (usually up to 12) games via money line, point spread, or total bets. To win a parlay bet, every team you bet on must win. So if you have a five-team parlay bet and the first four-win but the last one loses, you don’t win anything. This risk comes with a high reward though as parlay bets typically payout much higher than other bets.
Finally, World Cup prop betting provides the largest selection of different and unique bets that you will find. Prop bets, or proposition bets, are wagers that don’t have anything to do with the score or outcome of the match but rather have to do with individual statistics and happenings. You can find player props that could see bets on who will score first or team props that could have players predict which team will be eliminated first, or there are game props as well.
Where To Bet On The World Cup
If you are thinking about placing some bets on the World Cup, you first must know where to bet on the World Cup. Offshore online sportsbooks are the answer and there are several incredible options that offer players betting odds on not only anything and everything that has to do with the World Cup but odds on just about any sport you may be a fan of. Sites like Bovada, BetOnline, and SportsBetting have all of the qualities you should look for in a sportsbook. We have provided reviews of each of them to help you decide which one you prefer.
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BetOnline is one of the top available sports betting sites on the web. The sportsbook on this site offers up some excellent betting odds for the World Cup and for you fans of other sports, you can find odds on just about anything else as well. BetOnline has been churning out quality service for two decades and that longevity just adds to how clearly safe and secure this site is. It changes with the times and always takes care of their customers. BetOnline also has some of the best World Cup bonus offers that you will find. Just for signing up you can get 50% of your first deposit up to $1000 with the promo code BOL1000. The fun is just beginning from there so create your account now and place your bets on one of the most anticipated sporting events in the world.
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Right off the bat, it’s clear that SportsBetting is the site to sign up for if you want to bet on the World Cup or sports in general. The name itself is simple and to the point and lets, you know exactly what their focus is. Other sites like to promote their casinos and racebooks and other gambling activities but SportsBetting’s puts the majority of its attention into their sportsbook. They offer incredibly useful features such as their live betting option that allows soccer fans to bet on their favorite futbol match after kickoff has already happened. This allows for a more relaxed experience that isn’t structured on deadlines and time limits to make your bets. SportsBetting is truly the place to go if you want to see the best betting odds on the World Cup so sign up today. With the promo code SB100 new members will receive a 50% match of their initial deposit up to $1000 in free cash rewards.