Who Are The Best Teams To Bet On To Win The World Cup?

Qatar 2022 will soon arrive on the footballing horizon and money will flood to bookmakers in all sorts of big and bizarre wagers. We are sticking to a more standard betting market though as we look at the best team to bet on to win the World Cup.

Now before we dive into the teams, we should stress that we’re looking for the best value bet; that means you won’t necessarily see our picks line up with bookies’ odds. Let’s get started.

So, who are the contenders to win the World Cup?

England

For some reason, England is always in and around the favorites when it comes to big tournaments, according to the World Cup football betting odds. Maybe it’s because so many bookmakers originate from the country or because of the audience the Premier League has. Regardless of why, they’re up there in the odds again this time around.

They’ve been pretty good of late to be fair with Harry Kane scooping a Golden Boot in Russia as the Three Lions fell in the semi-final against Croatia before they were spot kicks away from winning the most recent Euros. Qatar might be a different kettle of fish for them though and an England run to deep in the competition is far from guaranteed. That said they have plenty of players in the final third that can win them games.

Verdict: Quarter-Finals, the odds on offer aren’t big enough to warrant the risk.

Brazil

Brazil has lifted the Jules Rimet trophy a record number of five times. As such, they’re usually at the summit of the bookmakers’ odds ladder when the big tournaments roll around and Qatar 2022 is no different. With Neymar leading the line, hot youngsters like Vinicius Junior around him, and a strong core behind that including the likes of Marquinhos and Casemiro, it’s fair to say they’ll be very much a feared side when the tournament rolls around.

Given they should waltz through their group (Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon), they will come into the knockout phase purring nicely. Once those one-off games start, they’ll be capable of beating everyone.

Verdict: They’ve got a real shot at winning it.

France

France will arrive in Qatar as the World Cup holders after showcasing all of their qualities in Russia back in 2018. There is every chance they do it again too. A lot has been made of the wobble they’ve had during the recent Nations League games but those close to the squad will tell you that there have been key players missing.

If you ignore the blip of these glorified friendlies and look at what’s in the dressing room and it’s hard to believe France won’t be a threat in Qatar. They’ve got the Ballon d’Or winner in waiting up top in Karim Benzema, the closest thing to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in Kylian Mbappe and have a selection of center-halves that most teams would die for.

Verdict: France will go deep but they are capable of throwing away games.

Uruguay

Here we have the first nation that isn’t ranked amongst the bookies’ favorites to win the World Cup. We, however, believe Uruguay has every chance of making it deep into the tournament. They fly under the radar in qualification with the fact they’re up against a lot of strong sides in CONMEBOL but across their last 20 fixtures, only Brazil and Argentina have beaten them, which proves they’re a decent side.

Their group in Qatar is a tough one with Ghana, Portugal, and South Korea but with a squad boasting a really nice blend of the young and hungry e.g. Darwin Nunez, and wise old heads e.g. Diego Godin they’ll be confident of giving a good account of themselves.

Verdict: They might not go all the way but their odds make them an interesting each-way wager.

Argentina

Last but not least we’re going to look at Argentina and, arguably, they’re the best value bet out there for an outright ‘to win’ bet. Lionel Messi is the name that hogs headlines and his five goal masterclass against Estonia the other week has done little to dampen that side of things. Of course, having Messi in the team makes them a better outfit but he’s not the only player that needs to have a watchful eye on him.

For example, Paolo Dybala and Lautaro Martinez are two of the best attacking players in Europe’s big five leagues whilst they’re no soft touches elsewhere on the pitch either. As for performing in knockout competitions, the best evidence you can find is their Copa America win that happened in July 2021. They beat Brazil – the current bookie favorites – in the final.

Verdict: All things considered, Argentina are the best value bet out there.