World Cup betting odds don't favor USA's chances

Sports fans love big events, and there’s a sub-set of those who love to place a bet on the big tournament. It doesn’t get any bigger than the World Cup, so we decided to take a look at the World Cup betting odds to see what the bookmakers are saying.

“We’re probably not expecting these odds to change radically between now and the start of the tournament,” said Southland Casino’s Preston Printup, who works as their promotions manager in West Memphis, Arkansas.

Here are the latest odds:

World Cup favorites

• Brazil +390
• Argentina +550
• France +650
• England +800
• Spain +800
• Germany +1000

“There’s not a lot of new blood in there,” said Printup.

World Cup longshots

• Tunisia +50,000
• Saudi Arabia +50,000
• Iran +50,000
• Costa Rica +50,000

“So if you bet a hundred dollars and one of these teams ends up winning the World Cup, that’s fifty grand that you get in your pocket,” added Printup. “But there’s a reason their odds are that long. [It’s] probably not a bet many people are going to want to make.”

World Cup betting odds for USMNT

But where does the US fit into all this?

“Right now, the US is at +15,000,” Printup said. “There’s just not a whole lot of people thinking they’re just going to make it very far.”

Printup finds it interesting that the US Men’s National Team (USMNT) is in the same group with one of the favorites (England) as well as one of the longest shots of the whole tournament (Iran), so it makes sense that the US’ odds would fall somewhere in between.

Printup points out that other teams with the same odds as the US are Poland, Ecuador, and Mexico.

To further solidify just how poor the oddsmakers think the prospects are for the USMNT, Printup mentions that the US is -5,000 to reach the Final.

“To reach the final, if you were to say no and bet that they won’t make it to the Final, they’re -5,000,” said Printup. “So if you don’t think they’re going to make it that far you can bet $5,000 to win $100.

“There’s not a lot of value there,” he adds.

But the odds for each team aren’t the only thing the public likes to wager on when it comes to the World Cup. Here are several more:

Best Young Player

• Jude Bellingham (England) +300
• Pedro (Brazil) +500
• Jamal Musiala (Germany) +550

Golden Glove

• Allison (Brazil) +450
• Thibaut Courtouis (Belgium) +500
• Manuel Neuer (Germany) +600
• Unai Simon (Spain) +600

Golden Boot

• Harry Kane (England) +700
• Kylian Mbappe (France) +800
• Lionel Messi (Argentina) +1100
• Karim Benzema (France) +1200
• Neymar (Brazil) +1200
• Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) +1600

Photo credit: IMAGO / agefotostock