World Cup squad announcements see odds shift in favour of one team
This past week we have seen a number of teams announce their rosters for the World Cup, with the odds reflected those changes.
The World Cup is creeping closer and will land in the USA, Canada, and Mexico in just over two weeks. Ahead of time, we take a look at how the incoming squad announcements have caused the odds to fluctuate, as the participation of various world stars are confirmed.
Which team is the favourite to win the World Cup?
At the time of writing, Spain are favourites to lift what would be their second World Cup, with OddsChecker currently putting them down at +500. The injured Lamine Yamal being included in the squad, along with Mikel Merino, a huge goal threat for Arsenal until his injury, have cemented them as the top option.
Coming in directly behind La Roja are France, with odds of +505, making things extremely tight at the top. Didier Deschamps’ squad was announced last week and included Kylian Mbappé, Désiré Doué, and Ousmane Dembélé, the current Ballon d’Or holder.
England are third favourites, with odds of +700. However, Tuchel’s squad has been received with a lot of controversy in the country as he has opted against selecting talents such as Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Morgan Gibbs-White and Adam Wharton, in favour of players such as Jordan Henderson and Noni Madueke.
Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil come in as 4th favourites, with odds at +850 to take home what would be their sixth World Cup. Like England, the Brazil squad was hugely contentious, with João Pedro and Antony left out for players such as Rayan and Neymar.
Argentina are at +900 to retain their title at the time of writing, while Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal sit at +1100.
As for the host nations, there is actually a two-way tie between Mexico and the USMNT, who are both on low odds of +8000, behind the likes of Japan and Morocco. Were Jesse Marsch to lead Canada to glory, he would be doing so from odds of +15500.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side are down at +350 to get to the quarter-finals and way out at +1000 to get to the semi-finals. In the final 8, they could potentially play Spain; as for the final four, they would likely come up against Germany, the Netherlands, or France.
Related stories
Iran make major World Cup change
Get closer to the game! Whether you like your soccer of the European variety or that on this side of the pond, our AS USA app has it all. Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more. Plus, stay updated on NFL, NBA and all other big sports stories as well as the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.
And there’s more: check out our TikTok and Instagram reels for bite-sized visual takes on all the biggest soccer news and insights.