Ultimate Football Betting Guide to this Year’s Cup

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Since 1930, every four years the countries of the world have competed for the biggest prize in world football.

Qatar will host this year’s Football Cup, the first to be staged in the Middle East. 32 countries make up eight groups. Hosts Qatar kick off the showpiece event on November 19^th against Ecuador at the Al Bayt Stadium. Despite its flaws, the 2022 Cup will be one of the largest betting events ever held, with millions of wagers placed daily on thousands of game and outright markets.

Past Winners

Since 1930, every four years the countries of the world have competed for the biggest prize in world football. From 1930 to 2018, just eight nations have won the coveted trophy in 21 tournaments. We take a look at past winners below:

Brazil: 5 titles (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002)
Germany: 4 titles (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014)
Italy: 4 titles (1934, 1928, 1982, 2006)
Argentina: 2 titles (1978, 1986)
France: 2 titles (1998, 2018)
Uruguay: 2 titles (1930, 1950)
Spain: 1 title (2010)
England: 1 title (1966)

Number of Teams at the 2022 Cup?

Ever since the France hosted the cup in 1998, the tournament has comprised of 32 competing nation. This year’s tournament will also host 32 teams for the last time. The 2026 tournament will be expanded to feature 48 teams. In addition to the host nation Qatar who qualified automatically, 31 additional teams qualified for the event through regional qualification matches.

The world’s footballing body that organises the Cup allocates a specific number of qualifying slots to each region, namely:

Africa: 5
Asia: 4 (plus 1 playoff qualifier)
Europe: 13
North, Central America and the Caribbean: 3 (plus 1 playoff qualifier)
Oceania: 1 playoff qualifier
South America: 4 (plus 1 playoff qualifier)

Who are the Favourites to Win the Tournament?

Five days remain till the opening match of the Cup. As the tournament draws closer, traditional soccer superpowers are at the top of the odds boards. Brazil remain the favourite, while Argentina is listed as second favourites alongside England, Spain, and Germany having the best odds as contenders. Below we run you through the favourites, contenders as well as the dark horses for the tournament:

Cup Favourites

Brazil

Star Player: Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain)

Brazil is the early favourite and the only team to have participated in every single Cup ever hosted. With three games remaining, they strolled to South American qualification stages with 12 wins and 3 draws, scoring 32 goals and conceding five.

France

Star Player: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)

Didier Deschamps has the most talented pool of players to select, and due to the injuries of stars like Pogba and Kanté, adjustments have been made to recover from a dismal Euro 2020 campaign. With newly crowned Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema leading the way, the reigning World Cup champions have a point to prove.

Argentina

Star Player: Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain)

At age 34, this is Lionel Messi’s last realistic opportunity to win the most prestigious prize in football. The team’s Copa America success from last summer could be the catalyst that allows them to contend for the trophy.

Portugal

Star Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)

Portugal enjoyed international triumph with their astonishing journey to the championship and surprise victory over France in the 2016 Euro final. Since then, the Portuguese have underperformed at their previous two international competitions. While Cristiano Ronaldo is not in the best vein of form for Manchester United, his fans are eager to see him perform in what would be his last Cup.

England

Star Player: Harry Kane

Under Gareth Southgate, England has emerged as a genuine force on the international stage after years of underperformance and frustration. He led them to the semi-finals of the previous Cup and the final of Euro 2020, when they were defeated on penalty kicks by Italy. If he can motivate them to go the extra mile, this year could be the year “football comes home.”

Contenders

Spain

Star Player: Pedri (Barcelona)

At Euro 2020, Luis Enrique’s young squad stunned everyone by reaching the semi-finals. A lack of goal finishing denied them a spot in the final, and they will benefit greatly from past experience at this Cup. Spain cruised through European qualification recording only one loss. With the Spanish clubs dominating European club football, Spain could be one of the main contenders this time around as well.

Germany

Star Player: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)

Hansi Flick has assumed control and reinvigorated the national team, much as he did with Bayern Munich. They have won all seven matches, scoring a total of 31 goals. They are actually one the teams to look out for as they as Germany look to build on the disappointments from previous tournaments.

Croatia

Star Player: Luka Modric (Real Madrid)

It will be challenging for the previous losing finalists to go down the same road again. Age has caught up with the Croatian squad, which battled at Euro 2020. With the experience in their ranks though, they are definitely contenders.

Belgium

Star Player: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)

Belgium is the number 1 in world rankings and the fact that their star players are at the height of their abilities give them a shot at the title. Their ageing defenders could be a thorn in their side as the pair struggled at Euro 2020. This is Belgium’s “golden generations” last chance to win the Cup.

Netherlands

Star Player: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)

Dutch legend Louis van Gaal has come out of retirement to lead the Netherlands for a third time. With his experience and the likes of de Ligt and van Dijk in the middle of the defence, “The Orange” might be the major contender of the tournament.

Dark Horses

Denmark

Star Player: Christian Eriksen (Manchester United)

After Christian Eriksen’s cardiac attack in the opening match of Euro 2020, the Danes displayed remarkable tenacity and team spirit to get to the semi-finals. With Brazil, Argentina, and the likes of France competing though, it will be challenging for Denmark to achieve those heights again.

Switzerland

Star Player: Granit Xhaka (Arsenal)

Switzerland will be participating in their sixth consecutive Cup, and the larger nations have found it tough to defeat them in previous years. They overcame a 3-1 deficit to eliminate France at Euro 2020. They tied Italy 1-1 in Rome to earn a spot in Qatar at the cost of the Euro 2020 champions.

Serbia

Star Player: Dusan Tadic (Ajax)

This will be Serbia’s third Cup appearance since achieving independence in 2006. With the likes of Alexandr Mitrovic leading the line, they are one of the dark horses. They have never reached the knockout stages and are hoping that 2022 will be their year.

South Korea

Star Player: Son Heung-Min (Tottenham Hotspur)

This is South Korea’s seventh consecutive World Cup, and they were the only Asian team to ever reach a semi-final of a Cup. Since September 2018, they have only lost one competitive match, a 1-0 loss to Qatar in the Asian Cup final.

Qatar

Star Player: Akram Afif (Al-Sadd)

The host nation has done everything possible to take advantage of this occasion. To develop the team, international players have been recruited to play in the Qatar’s domestic league and be naturalised after five years. Their finest achievement came in 2019 winning the Asian Cup for the very first time, defeating Asian giants South Korea and Japan along the way.

Most Popular Types of Football Bets

Moneyline betting: You either bet on a home team win, draw or away team win. The outcome of this type of wager will usually be determined at the end of regular time (90 minutes plus added time).

Draw no bet: This bet is the same as the moneyline but without the draw option. If the game does finish as a draw, you will get your money back, as your bet becomes a push.

Double Chance: You can basically combine two money line bets when using the double chance bet. If you believe an outsider will pull off a stunning upset over a heavy favourite, this is a safer wager.

Goal Line: Instead of wagering on a team to win or lose, you must bet on the margin of victory or defeat, with the spread fixed at 1.5 goals. This means the favourite must win by at least two goals and the underdog cannot lose by more than a goal in order to win the wager.

Win to Nil: You can use this bet when you believe a country will win a game without conceding. This wager has better odds than the Moneyline and is an excellent choice when a heavy favourite plays an underdog that only defends and scores few goals.

Odds for Different Group Winners

We take a look at the most recent and updated odds for the winners of the different groups to move into the knockout stages:

Group A

Netherlands (21/50)
Senegal (47/10)
Ecuador (5/1)
Qatar (29/2)

Group B

England (33/100)
USA (27/5)
Wales (29/5)
Iran (86/5)

Group C

Argentina (2/5)
Poland (93/20)
Mexico (19/4)
Saudi Arabia (219/10)

Group D

France (2/5)
Denmark (53/20)
Australia (74/5)
Tunisia (31/2)

Group E

Spain (43/50)
Germany (11/10)
Japan (62/5)
Costa Rica (45/1)

Group F

Belgium (14/25)
Croatia (12/5)
Morocco (47/5)
Canada (58/5)

Group G

Brazil (37/100)
Switzerland (97/20)
Serbia (117/20)
Cameroon (31/2)

Group H

Portugal (16/25)
Uruguay (2/1)
Republic of Korea (101/10)
Ghana (25/2)

Odds for Tournaments Winners by Region

One of the most common bets found at sportsbooks in the UK is from which region the future winners of the Cup hail from, we take a look at the odds below:

Europe (7/20)
Asia (64/1)
North, Central America and the Caribbean (44/1)
South America (2/1)
Africa (34/1)

Odds for Tournament Winners by Country

Will your favourite nation take the most coveted price in football home? We take you through the different odds for the top 10 favourites to help you make the most out of your wager:

Brazil (77/20)
Argentina (53/10)
France (29/5)
England (77/10)
Spain (41/5)
Germany (97/10)
Netherlands (58/5)
Portugal (27/2)
Belgium (77/5)
Denmark (27/1)

Best Players of the Tournament

While these bets are not as straightforward as picking the winner of the tournament, they could be very lucrative if you can predict which players will be the top performers at this year’s tournament. We take you through the most popular individual bets:

Golden Boot

The golden boot goes to the player who has scored the most goals during the tournament. This bet is a worthwhile one if you have good football knowledge or through thorough research. We give you a good starting point by listing the winners and how many goals they scored to win since the start of the 2000s.

2018 Harry Kane (England): 6 goals
2014 James Rodríguez (Colombia): 6 goals
2010 Thomas Müller (Germany): 5 goals
2006 Miroslav Klose (Germany): 5 goals
2002 Ronaldo (Brazil): 8 goals

Golden Glove

The golden glove is an award given to the tournament’s best goalkeeper based on their overall performance from their first match through to the final.

2018 Thibaut Courtois (Belgium)
2014 Manuel Neuer (Germany)
2010 Iker Casillas (Spain)
2006 Gianluigi Buffon (Italy)
2002 Oliver Kahn (Germany)

Gamble Responsibly and Have Fun

Every one of the betting sites we have picked is dedicated to advancing the cause of responsible gaming. For your own safety, we restrict access to our site and betting picks to individuals above the age of 18. Remember to have fun and gamble responsibly!