The countdown towards the start of the FIFA World Cup is now just months away from the big festivities and action to kickstart in Qatar. This is the first World Cup to be hosted by a Middle Eastern country. When Qatar first won the bid to host the tournament, many questions were asked about whether this would be feasible due to the scorching heat during summer; thus, this was moved to be held in winter. Still, the temperatures will be hot compared to winter in mainland Europe for example, but it will be tolerable for most. Stadiums have been equipped with state-of-the-art air conditioning systems to keep everyone cool and comfortable when watching the games.
It came as no surprise that people opposed the World Cup being held in Qatar, mainly due to the human rights allegations against the country. On the other hand, it can be argued that football is a sport and a source of entertainment that brings people together. The World Cup promises to bring nations closer together and, through the support of their sides, showcase joy, celebrations and sportsmanship.
Here at LV BET, we’re keen to keep you up to date with all the information that you might need before the FIFA World Cup kicks off, and we have written blogs on the schedule of the World Cup, the state-of-the-art stadiums, and now we will be outlining some of the best odds and also include some betting tips as well.
Betting with LV BET
Your bets with LV BET gives you access to some of the best odds on all markets that you can imagine. We kickstart proceedings by going through outright betting odds.
Outright bets
Outright betting odds before the start of a tournament gives players the ability to enjoy some of the best prices on the market – as no games have been played. Punters can predict who they believe will lift the golden World Cup trophy come December. In this section, by selecting the outright winner of the tournament, you are predicting who will be the World Cup champions. Should they finish second in their respective group, that would not affect your bet; it’s still safe, as the national side can still go on to win the competition.
Considering the huge pool of talent that they have at their disposal, Brazil are the current favourites to win the tournament, priced at 21/4 (6.24). Neymar Jr is showing his World Cup form once again as he is putting in some impressive performances for PSG. In this tournament, he will take on the role of a more experienced player rather than a young, exciting talent. The bookie’s odds on who is the most likely to be the winner is not always the one who ends up winning the tournament. An example of this would be Real Madrid in the 2021/22 Champions League campaign. They were not the favourites to win the tournament, especially after their opening game defeat to Sheriff Tiraspol at the Bernabeu. A lot of things change throughout a competition, so researching well and knowing the right time to place your bet could be key!
The bookies believe the second most likely team to win the World Cup is England, as they are priced at 25/4 (7.25). This comes after a great showing by Southgate and his players in the Euro competition in which they managed to reach the final but fell in the last hurdle to a penalty shootout. The Three Lions have one of the most exciting teams in the competition with Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham, Jodan Sancho and Bukayo Saka all eager to stamp their mark. Undoubtedly, Harry Kane will be pivotal to this England side to provide the goals and pull a rabbit out of his hat whenever needed.
France measure up as the third most likely to win the international title back to back, priced at 27/4 (7.75). The French national team must first navigate through the difficulties of their group, which on paper may look like a somewhat tricky endeavour for the reigning World Cup champions. Les Bleus enjoyed a fantastic campaign in Russia which reached its climax against Croatia, who they managed to beat 4-2 in the final. A couple of players who are integral to their style of football, N’golo Kante and Paul Pogba, have struggled to play actively due to a string of injuries, with Paul Pogba being operated on and sidelined for a couple of weeks. Still, they are a threat going forward, with heavy hitter Kylian Mbappe scoring for fun in both the French League and the Champions League.
If you feel that predicting the winner right from the start will be a long shot, you might want to consider betting on who will win their group.
Group Stage Betting
Group A
As with any other competition, the host will be competing in Group A, and after some changes to the date, Qatar will be the team to start the tournament. Qatar face Senegal, Ecuador and the Netherlands in their first appearance in the FIFA World Cup group stages. The Senegal team are the team to watch in this group together with the Netherlands as they field an exciting young team in the hopes of getting them back to their sparkling best. Ecuador managed to make it to the group stages after finishing fourth in their group in the CONMEBOL qualification but face great speculation about the legitimacy of their games played in the qualification, which is still being investigated, their place in this group might be in jeopardy.
Group A is the very essence of the World Cup Group stages summed up as it’s diverse, unpredictable and yet competitive.
Betting odds:
The Netherlands are the favourites to win Group A at the price of 2/5 (1.40) and at 11/2 (6.50) to reach the final.
Senegal are at 9/2 (1.66) to win the group and at 4/1 (5.00) to reach the quarter-finals.
Ecuador to be the winner is at 6/1 (7.00) and Qatar to win the group is priced at 14/1 (15.00).
Group B
This group plays host to England, Wales, Iran and the USA, a couple of teams with high ambitions for this World Cup. The USA came in third in the CONCACAF qualification round, and with an up-and-coming squad, currently ranked 11th in the FIFA ranking system, they might be a tough team to best. England are tipped to be one of the teams that could win the tournament, but over recent performances, they don’t look like such an unstoppable force. After a very long wait, 64 years to be exact, Wales reach another World Cup, and Gareth Bale will be their main attacking treat. A game that they will surely give their all in is when they face England, so keep an eye out for that fixture. Iran are the least favourite with the bookmakers. They almost made it out of the group in the 2018 World Cup, something they wish to do this time around.
Betting odds:
England are the outright favourites to win Group B at 1/3 (1.33).
USA are priced at 11/2 (6.50) to win Group B whilst Wales are at 6/1 (7.00), making them rivals to pinch second place in the group.
Iran are the least favourite in Group B at 16/1 (17.00).
Group C
A very competitive group pinning Argentina, Mexico, Poland and Saudi Arabia against each other. Argentina have been impressive in their recent games, winning the Copa America and the ‘Finalissima’, with Lionel Messi adding to his illustrious trophy cabinet. Just one to add now, the FIFA World Cup. Standing in his way are Mexico, who finished in third place in the CONCACAF and Poland who are ranked in 26th place in the overall FIFA rankings. Saudi Arabia are the least favoured team in this group, setting them at the bottom of the pecking order in group C.
Betting odds:
Argentina and Lionel Messi are the favourites of Group C at 2/5 (1.40) and at 4/1 (5.00) to reach the Final once again.
Mexico are priced at 9/2 (5.50) and at 5/1 (6.00) to make it to the last eight.
Poland are competitively priced at 5/1 (6.00) and Saudi Arabia at 20/1 (21.00).
Group D
Group D will have the reigning champions of the world, France, as they try to break the trend of being knocked out of the group stages. Denmark will be hot on their heels should they slip up with a dynamic and experienced side. Australia managed to sneak in through the play-off path, and you can bet on a shock as Tunisia completes Group D.
Betting odds:
France are priced at 2/5 (1.40) to win the group, and if you are looking for a sensational bet, France to win the world cup once again is priced at 6/1 (7.00).
Following closely, Denmark, who are priced at 3/1 (4.00) to continue on a string of good performances in the Euros and in the UEFA Nations League.
The unlikely event of Australia winning the group is at 10/1 (11.00), whilst Tunisia is at 14/1 (15.00).
Group E
Group E is the group of death hosting two of the biggest European teams that have won the FIFA World Cup multiple times, Germany and Spain, along with Japan and Costa Rica, who are both competitive side in their own respective ways. Both Germany and Spain have the squad capability and the experience to go through, but you wouldn’t bet against them making it to the next phase in the tournament.
Betting odds:
The two juggernauts of world football are closely priced to tip each other for first place in the group. Spain are priced at odds of 9/11 (1.82) whilst Germany are at 6/5 (2.20).
Japan would need to trouble the big guns to have a chance of making it out of the group, we are pricing them at odds of 10/1 (11.00) to win the group and Costa Rica with the outside chance at 33/1 (34.00).
Group F
A very intriguing group with Belgium coming out as the most favoured side by the bookies. The likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Lukaku and Eden Hazard back to his best can’t hurt their chances. In contrasting circumstances, Canada are the debutants that will be eager to push their limits to the highest level and look to cause an upset. Croatia came agonisingly close to winning the World Cup last time around Russia, while Morocco completes the group as they boast their stars in the form of Hakim Ziyech, Achraf Hakimi and Sofiane Boufal.
Betting odds:
The 2022 World Cup has some of the best contests, and for Belgium to win Group F, it’s priced at 13/25 (1.52), with a brilliant run to the Final priced at 5/1 (6.00).
Second favourites to occupy first place in this group are Croatia at 9/4 (3.25) whilst Morocco at 10/1 (11.00) and Canada, given an outside chance by the bookmakers pricing them at 16/1 (17.00) to top the group.
Group G
Brazil, are the bookmakers’ favourite to lift the trophy – together with England – take on Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon. All of the participants have won the qualifying groups in which they participated in, so betting on who will finish second will be unpredictable to say the least. Another page will be written in the long history book for the South American squad as they chase their sixth triumph in the World Cup 2022. Giving their all will be Switzerland, who got the better of Italy in the playoffs, whilst Serbia took Group A by storm with late drama. Cameroon are the underdogs in this group, with not much hope being placed on the Africans to progress to the knockout stage.
Betting odds:
Brazil are the favourites on odds for the latest World Cup crown at 4/9 (1.45), with Switzerland at 33/10 (4.30) to secure first place.
Serbia are priced at 55/10 (6.50) whilst outsiders Cameroon are at 12/1 (13.00).
Group H
The last group hosts Portugal, South America side Uruguay, Ghana and South Korea. Portugal are the favourites to come out on top as they prepare to add another great page in their history, and that is without waxing lyrical about Cristiano Ronaldo. This might, of course, be the last World Cup in which Ronaldo competes in, and it’s one of the few trophies that he never won. Many people would love to see a final between Argentina and Portugal, making it a fairytale ending to the rivalry between the two athletes. Uruguay reached the quarter-final in Russia, but the squad is ageing and might struggle to reach the same heights. Ghana have a very competitive team with a couple of players in their ranks playing in England’s top flight, like Thomas Partey and Jordan Ayew. Finally, for South Korea, Heung-min Son will be the main focal point for their team to spearhead their success.
Betting Odds:
Favourites Portugal are priced at 13/20 (1.65), with the odds of reaching the Final at 5/1 (6.00). Uruguay are the second favourites at odds 2/1 (3.00), whilst South Korea at 11/1 (12.00) and Ghana at 11/1 (12.00).
That concludes the group stage for the 2022 World Cup with World Cup odds to complement each group. That is not the only way you can place your bets, one could also place bets on who will be the top goalscorer of the tournament.
2022 World Cup Odds on Top Goalscorer
Strikers for the favourite national teams to make it to the final are always odds on to win this title. Currently leading the standings are England striker Harry Kane and South America superstar Neymar JR.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are a bit lower than usual in the pecking order due to their age and their respective team’s chances of reaching the latter stages of the tournament. Despite winning the Copa America, Argentina won the Copa America final against Brazil, but still, the odds are hugely in favour of Brazil rather than Argentina to go the furthest.
Bets on the top goalscorer will not be influenced if the player and his team don’t progress far in the tournament; this only takes into consideration the number of goals.