With the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar just months away, and the World Cup group stage drawin the books, it’s time to begin looking at who is expected to win the event and who the plucky underdogs could be.
There are still three berths left to be decided in June with eight teams still in the running for those spots. Peru will face the winner of the Australia vs. United Arab Emirates playoff. Costa Rica will battle New Zealand for another ticket to Qatar. And Wales will host Scotland or Ukraine for the final available group-stage slot.
All three future playoff winners were included alongside the other 29 teams in the group-stage draw on April 1. And the final group pairings and potential knockout round paths have impacted the odds of teams in the field.
Here’s a full look at the available betting options for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which begins Nov. 21 and concludes on Dec. 18.
WORLD CUP DRAW BREAKDOWNS:
Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D
Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H
Who will win the World Cup? Favorites in 2022
Odds courtesy of: DraftKings (USA) & Sports Interaction (Canada)
Below are the top 10 teams favored to win the 2022 World Cup. The list, unsurprisingly, also comprises the top 10 FIFA-ranked teams in the field.
Not listed of course is sixth-ranked Italy, which failed to qualify after the shocking loss to North Macedonia. Belgium, despite being ranked second in the world, and No. 1 until the most recent rankings, are down below the likes of 7th-ranked Spain and 12th-ranked Germany. There is also little faith in Portugal, with higher odds than Germany and the Netherlands despite being ranked higher.
Nation
FIFA Rank
Odds to Win
DraftKings
Sports
Interaction
Brazil
1
+450
+451
France
3
+600
+550
England
5
+600
+551
Spain
7
+750
+801
Argentina
4
+750
+900
Germany
12
+1000
+1100
Belgium
2
+1200
+1201
Netherlands
10
+1200
+1201
Portugal
8
+1200
+1202
Denmark
11
+2500
+2807
World Cup underdogs
Odds courtesy of: DraftKings (USA) & Sports Interaction (Canada)
Below are the 11 teams with the longest odds who have either already qualified or are still alive in qualification, whether it be via the intercontinental playoff or the remaining UEFA playoff path.
MORE: Which is the Group of Death at the World Cup?
Hosts Qatar, surprisingly, do not appear on this list, with odds about even with the likes of Morocco, Japan, and Ghana. The United States and Mexico also do not appear, with both North American sides right in the middle of the odds pack.
Unsurprisingly, many of the bottom teams are those yet to qualify, as those teams still have the most work to do. This list will change as teams are eliminated from contention this summer.
Nation
FIFA Rank
Odds to Win
DraftKings
Sports
Interaction
Costa Rica*
31
+100000
+50000
New Zealand*
101
+100000
+50000
UAE*
68
+100000
Iran
21
+80000
+50000
Saudi Arabia
49
+80000
+25800
Australia*
42
+50000
+49500
South Korea
29
+30000
+25000
Scotland*
39
+30000
+49300
Tunisia
35
+25000
+34700
Canada
38
+25000
+15200
Peru*
22
+25000
+20100
* Yet to secure qualification to 2022 World Cup (June playoffs)
Every team’s World Cup odds
Odds courtesy of: DraftKings (USA) & Sports Interaction (Canada)
Nation
FIFA Ranking
To advance to knockouts
To win group
To win World Cup
DraftKings
Sports
Interaction
DraftKings
Sports
Interaction
DraftKings
Sports
Interaction
Brazil
1
-1400
-909
-270
-231
+450
+451
France
3
-1400
-1250
-270
-250
+600
+550
England
5
-1400
-1988
-300
-303
+600
+551
Argentina
4
-2500
-1250
-300
-251
+750
+900
Spain
7
-650
-909
-125
-120
+750
+801
Germany
12
-450
-625
+115
+120
+1000
+1100
Belgium
2
-1200
-909
-190
-177
+1200
+1201
Portugal
8
-750
-556
-190
-155
+1200
+1202
Netherlands
10
-900
-1000
-200
-247
+1200
+1201
Denmark
11
-225
-175
+300
+303
+2500
+2807
Croatia
16
-140
-175
+275
+233
+4000
+5000
Uruguay
13
-250
-200
+250
+200
+5000
+5000
Senegal
20
-110
+100
+450
+438
+5000
+8040
Switzerland
14
-140
+100
+400
+451
+8000
+8010
Serbia
25
+140
+175
+600
+552
+8000
+14800
Mexico
9
-120
-111
+450
+501
+10000
+14900
USA
15
-150
+100
+700
+549
+10000
+10000
Poland
26
-120
-111
+450
+451
+10000
+12400
Wales*
18
+225
+1000
+15000
+34400
Ukraine*
27
+700
+2000
+15000
+24700
Ecuador
46
-105
+100
+500
+595
+15000
+15000
Japan
23
+250
+326
+1400
+1011
+20000
+24900
Morocco
24
+175
+199
+600
+1000
+20000
+25000
Cameroon
37
+250
+242
+1400
+1200
+20000
+20000
Qatar
51
+300
+606
+1000
+1400
+20000
+34600
Ghana
60
+300
+222
+1200
+1100
+20000
+25000
Peru*
22
+350
+1200
+25000
+20100
Tunisia
36
+500
+248
+2000
+1157
+25000
+34700
Canada
38
+225
+248
+900
+1000
+25000
+15200
South Korea
29
+175
+222
+900
+1100
+30000
+25000
Scotland*
39
+700
+2000
+30000
+49300
Australia*
42
+800
+2500
+50000
+49500
Iran
21
+350
+403
+1600
+1920
+80000
+50000
Saudi Arabia
49
+700
+499
+3500
+2000
+80000
+25800
Costa Rica*
31
+550
+5000
+100000
+50000
UAE*
68
+800
+2500
+100000
New Zealand*
101
+1000
+10000
+100000
+50000
* Yet to secure qualification to 2022 World Cup (June playoffs)
Odds changes after World Cup draw
Sometimes a group stage draw can change a team’s odds to win the World Cup dramatically, whether the nation receives a favorable or unfavorable path.
The team most affected by the draw was Iran, which was drawn alongside England, the United States, and the unknown UEFA qualifier. Another team that obtained a difficult draw was Saudi Arabia, which saw its odds balloon after being selected alongside Argentina, Mexico, and Poland.
The Netherlands’ odds were predictably cut by a significant margin after being selected in Group A, the same group with hosts Qatar and consequently the only group without a traditional Pot 1 team.
Japan saw its odds slashed, oddly, despite being drawn in one of the most difficult groups alongside Germany and Spain. It’s possible that bettors believe one of the two UEFA teams is ripe for an upset.
Here are the teams whose odds changed most notably after the World Cup draw on April 1.
Nation
Confederation
FIFA Rank
To Win World Cup
Before
After
Saudi Arabia
AFC
49
+50000
+80000
Ecuador
CONMEBOL
46
+25000
+15000
Iran
AFC
21
+25000
+80000
Japan
AFC
23
+40000
+20000
Netherlands
UEFA
10
+1600
+1200
FIFA World Cup winners
Of the 29 qualified teams plus the eight teams still alive in contention for qualification, seven teams have hoisted the World Cup before.
Unsurprisingly, all seven of those teams appear among the top 10 favorites to win this year’s edition, as soccer tradition runs deep.
MORE: Who will have better 2022 World Cup, USA, Canada, or Mexico?
Below is a table of previous World Cup winners involved in the 2022 field. The only team to have previously won a World Cup which did not qualify for this year’s field is Italy. The Azzurri have won the World Cup on four previous occasions.
Nation
World Cup
titles
Years Won
Brazil
5
1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002
Germany
4
1954, 1974, 1990, 2014
Uruguay
2
1930, 1950
France
2
1998, 2018
Argentina
1
1986
Spain
1
2010
England
1
1966
original source here