As the most watched sports tournament on the planet, it is no surprise that World Cup betting is so prevalent. Below, our team at ThePuntersPage have compiled a one-stop guide to everything you need to know about this exciting event, including the World Cup Qualifiers.
- Best Betting Sites for 2022 World Cup Betting
- Best World Cup Betting Sites – Ranked
- Latest World Cup 2022 Odds
- World Cup 2022 Betting Tips & Predictions
- When & Where is the 2022 World Cup Taking Place?
- World Cup Betting – Qualifying
- World Cup 2022 Tournament Structure
- World Cup 2022 Key Dates
- World Cup 2022 Betting Strategy
- Popular World Cup Betting Markets
- History of the World Cup
- World Cup 2022 Betting FAQs
- ThePuntersPage Final Say
#1
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#4
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#6
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#8
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Best World Cup Betting Sites – Ranked
#01 bet365
#02 Betfred
#03 10bet
#04 bwin
#05 Ladbrokes
#06 Coral
#07 Marathonbet
#08 Unibet
#09 SportsNation
Latest World Cup 2022 Odds
Which Country Is Most Likely To Win the World Cup?
- As it stands, Brazil are in pole position as favourites to win the World Cup in 2022. By taking the odds on bet365 as our base, and using our odds calculator, we know that they have an 18% chance of winning the prestigious tournament for the sixth time.
- Right behind the Brazilians, we find current World Champions France and EURO 2020 finalists England both with a 15% chance of lifting the trophy.
- Spain and Argentina complete our list of top 5 contenders with an 11% and 10% chance respectively.
- Some other countries which are deemed to have a fighting chance according to the odds at the moment are Germany, Belgium, Portugal and Netherlands, who all have an approximately 8% probability of winning. Germany are considered to be a tad ahead of the other three countries mentioned here, with odds of 11/1 on bet365.
World Cup 2022 – Best Outright Winner Odds
Team | Best Odds | Provider |
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Brazil | 5/1 | Betfred |
France | 13/2 | Unibet |
England | 7/1 | Paddy Power |
Spain | 9/1 | Unibet |
Argentina | 10/1 | Ladbrokes |
Germany | 12/1 | Betway |
Belgium | 14/1 | BetVictor |
Portugal | 16/1 | Parimatch |
Netherlands | 16/1 | Paddy Power |
Denmark | 33/1 | BetVictor |
Croatia | 66/1 | Unibet |
Uruguay | 66/1 | Paddy Power |
Senegal | 100/1 | Unibet |
Switzerland | 100/1 | Paddy Power |
USA | 125/1 | Betway |
Serbia | 150/1 | bet365 |
Mexico | 150/1 | bet365 |
Poland | 150/1 | BetVictor |
World Cup 2022 – Top Scorer Odds
Player | Best Odds | Provider |
---|---|---|
Kylian Mbappe | 8/1 | BetVictor |
Harry Kane | 8/1 | BetVictor |
Neymar | 12/1 | Unibet |
Cristiano Ronaldo | 14/1 | BetVictor |
Karim Benzema | 26/1 | Parimatch |
Lionel Messi | 16/1 | BetVictor |
Romelu Lukaku | 16/1 | BetVictor |
Memphis Depay | 20/1 | Parimatch |
Vinicius Junior | 25/1 | Parimatch |
Diogo Jota | 25/1 | BetVictor |
Kai Havertz | 33/1 | BetVictor |
Alvaro Morata | 33/1 | Parimatch |
Antoine Griezmann | 33/1 | Parimatch |
Raheem Sterling | 33/1 | BetVictor |
Gabriel Jesus | 33/1 | 10bet |
There's no denying that Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane are the main goal scorers for their nations, and since both England and France are within the top three favourite countries to win the World Cup, it's natural to see these two amazing forwards topping this list.
In the qualification matches, Mbappe started 5 matches and scored 5 goals. Harry Kane started in 7 and scored 12. In the last World Cup, Harry Kane was also the top scorer with 6 goals in as many matches. Mbappe was joint second, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, Antoine Griezmann, Denis Cheryshev and Romelu Lukaku.
This will most probably be the last World Cup for both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Both superstars have won continental cups (EURO Cup and UEFA Nations League for Cristiano, and Copa America for Messi), but are both missing a World Cup trophy in their extensive trophy cabinets. They will surely be trying to do their best to make their last one count, especially after having quite a quiet 21/22 season by their ‘normal' standards.
French veteran Karim Benzema is rightfully among the top players on this list too, putting on impressive performances since his return to international football, both for France and for Real Madrid. In the EURO Cup, he scored 4 in 4 matches, while in the UEFA Nations League Finals, he scored 2 in 2 matches. In the World Cup Qualifiers, he started 3 matches and scored 3 goals. This season, he has got 8 goals in 7 Champions League matches and 24 goals in 26 La Liga matches – the man is on fire! In this form, he could easily bag more goals than top scorer favourite Kylian Mbappe.
World Cup 2022 – Odds to Reach the Quarter Finals
Team | Best Odds | Provider |
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Brazil | 1/2 | BetVictor |
France | 1/2 | Parimatch |
England | 1/2 | Paddy Power |
Spain | 8/11 | BetVictor |
Argentina | 8/11 | Betfair |
Germany | 4/5 | BetVictor |
Belgium | 5/6 | Parimatch |
Netherlands | 5/6 | Parimatch |
Portugal | 10/11 | BetVictor |
Denmark | 2/1 | BetVictor |
Uruguay | 5/2 | Parimatch |
Croatia | 3/1 | Paddy Power |
Switzerland | 3/1 | BetVictor |
Senegal | 3/1 | Betfair |
USA | 9/2 | Paddy Power |
World Cup 2022 Betting Tips & Predictions
With 32 teams set to battle it out for the 2022 World Cup, you may be struggling to pick a favourite. In addition, the knockout nature of the competition makes it even more unpredictable.
Be sure to check back here at ThePuntersPage for updated tips as we get closer to the tournament kicking off. In the meantime, find a more detailed breakdown of the current favourites to win the World Cup below.
Brazil
Brazil are always dangerous at a World Cup, and during this qualification cycle, they look especially menacing.
Few players at the tournament can change a game in the blink of an eye like Neymar can, and the team also have younger stars coming through too. What’s more, their 2019 Copa America win proved they have the right mentality for a tournament victory.
France
France are the current holders of the World Cup, having defeated Croatia in the 2018 final. That is not the only reason they have emerged as early tournament favourites this time around, though.
Les Bleus possess the strongest squad on paper by some distance. Headlined by one of best players in the world, Kylian Mbappe, they have incredible depth in nearly every position. You could probably make a potentially World Cup winning XI just from the players France will be forced to omit from their 23-man squad!
England
After reaching the semi-finals in 2018, can England go one step further this time around?
The current crop of players is being cautiously christened as a ‘Golden Generation’, and by the time the 2022 tournament comes around, many of them will be entering their prime years. While a few defensive question marks remain, the Three Lions should still be considered contenders. It might just be the year to bet on England at the World Cup.
Portugal
Portugal are another team worth keeping an eye on. Manchester United talisman Bruno Fernandes is as good as any midfielder taking part in the competition, and the team themselves have tournament pedigree, having won the Euros in 2016 and the Nations League in 2019.
Germany
The 2022 World Cup will be Germany’s first tournament without Joachim Low at the helm since Euro 2008; whether that will help or hinder them remains to be seen. What we can say is that the results since Hansi Flick took over have been great: 9 matches played, 8 wins, 1 draw, 34 goals scored and only 3 goals conceded. In his term with Bayern Munich, he managed 86 matches, only failing to win in 16 of those (8 of them were draws).
One thing is for sure, though: Die Mannschaft have a very talented squad, and will be high on the list of many world cup betting slips!
When & Where is the 2022 World Cup Taking Place?
The 2022 World Cup will be held in Qatar. This makes it the first tournament to be held in the Middle East and only the second to be held in Asia, after South Korea and Japan co-hosted back in 2002.
In another first, the 2022 World Cup will also be held in the winter as opposed to summer. The dates were switched after it became clear that players would struggle to cope with the sweltering Qatari heat in June and July.
The first game of the tournament will be played on 21st November, with the curtain coming down on the final on 18th December.
World Cup Betting – Qualifying
2022 World Cup Draw
- Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands
- Group B: England, Iran, USA, European playoff
- Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland
- Group D: France, Intercontinental playoff 1, Denmark, Tunisia
- Group E: Spain, Intercontinental playoff 2, Germany, Japan
- Group F: Belgium, Ghana, Morocco, Croatia
- Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon
- Group H: Portugal, Canada, Uruguay, South Korea
The only team handed an automatic spot in the competition are the hosts, Qatar. Each of the remaining 31 sides are required to go through their confederation’s qualifying systems.
CAF
With five spots allocated for African teams in the 2022 World Cup, the qualification matches kicked off in September 2021 and were split into three rounds. The teams which eventually made it to the finals were Senegal, Morocco, Ghana, Cameroon and Tunisia.
This was a major upset for teams such as Egypt, Nigeria, Algeria, and Ivory Coast, who have all participated in previous World Cup editions.
UEFA
European teams have 13 spots allocated, the most of any continent. All 55 UEFA Nations started the qualification process in March 2021 and were divided into 10 groups of five or six teams.
The ten first placed finishers earned themselves automatic qualification to the 2022 World Cup. These countries were: Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Croatia, England and Germany.
The 10 runners-up were afforded a second chance to qualify via the playoff stage. Here, they were joined by the best two UEFA Nations League group winners and split into three different paths of four teams each. These sides then faced each other in single-legged semi-finals and finals, with the three pathway winners progressing to the World Cup finals.
Poland and Portugal have been confirmed, while Wales still awaits a match between Ukraine and Scotland to see who they will have to face to claim the final European place in World Cup. The eventual winner will be placed in Group B, which currently consists of England, Iran and the USA. Here we could potentially see England vs Scotland or England vs Wales in the group stage.
The biggest shocker here was Italy losing their playoff match against North Macedonia, with a late goal by Trajkovski seeing the European Champions failing to make it to the World Cup for the second time running.
AFC
There are four rounds to Asian World Cup qualifying, with 4.5 teams allocated a place in the World Cup. After the first two stages, which began in June 2019, 46 teams are whittled down to just 12. These sides were then split into two groups of six, with the top two from each earning qualification. These were Iran, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Japan.
The two third-place teams – Australia and United Arab Emirates – will face each other, and the winner will progress to the inter-confederation playoffs, where 4 countries from across the world battle it out for the remaining places.
CONCACAF
North, Central American and Caribbean teams are afforded 3.5 spots in the competition, with the three round qualification process having begin in March 2021.
In the first and second rounds CONCACAF teams ranked 6 to 35 were reduced down to three. These teams then joined the top five sides in an eight-team group. Each team played each other home and away, with the top three progressing: Canada, the USA and Mexico.
The fourth-placed team, which was Costa Rica, made it to the inter-confederation playoffs.
OFC
Oceanic sides are only given 0.5 places in the 2022 World Cup. In the qualification stage, the 11 OFC teams were split into two groups.
Each side played once in a neutral location, with the top two of each group progressing to the second round. Here there were two semi-finals and a final, with the winner going into the inter-confederation playoffs. The final between New Zealand and Solomon Islands was held on 30th March 2022, which was won by New Zealand with a final score of 5-0.
CONMEBOL
The most straightforward process of any confederation, the South American qualification round kicked off in October 2020.
The 10 CONMEBOL teams met home and away with the top four teams progressing. These were Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador and Uruguay.
Peru, as the fifth placed side, goes into the inter-confederation playoffs.
Inter-Confederation Playoffs
The final two spots for the World Cup will be decided through the inter-confederation playoffs, featuring one team from the AFC, CONMEBOL, CONCACAF and OFC confederations. The four teams are drawn into two knockout matches which will be played home and away.
The AFC Forth Round Winner (Australia/UAE) will play the CONMEBOL 5th placed team (Peru), while the CONCACAF 4th placed team (Costa Rica) will face the OFC Final winner (New Zealand).
The 4 matches will be played between 30th May and 14th June 2022.
World Cup 2022 Tournament Structure
Once the 32 teams have qualified, they are drawn into eight groups of four. Each team then plays each other once with three points awarded for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss.
Points are tallied in table, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the round of 16. In the event of two nations being level on points, the following tie-breaker criteria are used:
- Goal difference
- Goals scored
- Points from group stage matches involving the tied teams
- Goal differential in group stage matches involving the tied teams
- Goals scored in group stage matches involving the tied teams
The draw for the round of 16 is fixed and seeded. For instance, the winner of Group A plays the runner-up of Group B, while the winner of Group H plays the runner-up of Group G. Starting at this stage, all games are one-legged with extra time and penalties used if the scores are level after 90 minutes.
Eventually teams are eliminated until two remain for the final, with a third-placed game contested between the two losing semi-finalists. Naturally, World Cup bets can be placed on any match throughout the tournament.
World Cup 2022 Key Dates
- World Cup 2022 draw – April 2022
- Inter-confederation play-offs – June 2022
- World Cup Opening Ceremony & first group game – 21 November 2022
- Round of 16 begins – 3 December 2022
- Quarter-finals begin – 9 December 2022
- Semi-finals begin – 13 December 2022
- Third place match – 17 December 2022
- Final – 18 December 2022
World Cup 2022 Betting Strategy
If you are planning some World Cup betting in 2022, you are going to need a good strategy. Follow TPP’s golden rules below to lay out your path to success!
1. World Cup Betting Promotions
As we get closer to the tournament, more and more UK betting sites will come up with lucrative sign-up offers and special promotions.
These have great potential to improve your World Cup betting. For instance, those interested in matched betting would do well to take advantage of any free bet offers.
2. Use World Cup Statistics
Statistics are vital ingredients in any sort of football betting – even more so when the World Cup rolls around.
Featuring players from across the world, looking at the relevant stats increases your knowledge without having to trawl through hours of gameplay footage.
Our KickForm can come in very handy here, as well as the hundreds of other outlets offering in-depth statistical analysis on all the biggest World Cup match once the tournament starts.
3. World Cup Accumulators
Accumulators can be a great way to make the most of your World Cup betting bankroll. These consist of many smaller bets which, when combined, can create some huge odds and potentially sizeable payouts.
As there are multiple games on every day, the World Cup is the perfect tournament for accumulator betting. Make sure you check out our accumulator betting guide before you get started!
4. Watch the Games
One thing we have discovered is that in-play betting is a lot more effective if you are actually watching the match in question after or while you're placing your bets. On this note, bet365, Ladbrokes, and Unibet are great places to live stream all the action.
There are few excuses not to be watching every World Cup match as well – it is the highlight of the football calendar, after all!
5. Bet on What You Know
As tempting as it may be to place a bet on Honduras vs Peru – or whatever other crazy ties the 2022 World Cup draw throws up – if you do not know much about either team, you should steer clear.
Instead, place World Cup bets that match up with your own knowledge. Like this, you will maximise your chances of securing wins!
Popular World Cup Betting Markets
Winner
This is one of the most exciting World Cup betting markets around. Here, you are trying to predict which team will win the entire tournament.
Backing a winner can add another reason to get behind your favoured team, or keep you engaged in the competition when your favourite side is knocked out. You need not place this World Cup bet before the tournament starts, either – if you like the look of a dark horse after a few matches, you may be able to get a good price on them winning the whole thing.
Group Winners
There are eight different groups to bet on at the World Cup, so this market offers you plenty of different opportunities. You could even place an eight-fold accumulator including all of the group winners.
Of course, some will be harder to predict than others. Be particularly careful when betting on any ‘Groups of Death’, as these are always fiendishly hard to anticipate.
Goals Over/Under
On every single World Cup game, you will be able to place an over/under goals bet.
When making your selections for this market, there are a few things to consider. First and foremost, you need to research both teams. If they are both prone to low-scoring games, a bet of under 1.5 goals is smart. However, if there is a free-flowing attacking team involved, you are best to bet the other way.
Situational factors are also important. If you are betting on a group game in which a draw will send both teams through, it is likely to be a cagey affair. Meanwhile, a match involving two sides with nothing to lose will be more open.
Double Chance
World Cup betting is perfectly suited to the Double Chance market, as it allows you to bet on two outcomes of a match instead of one.
There are many underdogs at the World Cup each year, which can make betting on them seem like a waste of time and money. Double Chance betting changes that, allowing you to bet on a less-fancied side either getting a win or a draw.
Top Goalscorer
This is one of our personal favourite World Cup betting market,s as there is often great value to be found in it. As the World Cup is played over such a short space of time, the best players do not always score the most goals.
If you manage to select a surprise contender before the tournament kicks off, you could win big.
Special World Cup Betting Markets
Many betting apps will house special World Cup 2022 betting markets as the tournament edges closer.
These include markets on which players will be selected in each team’s squad, Player of the Tournament, most yellow cards, and many more.
History of the World Cup
The World Cup was the brainchild of former FIFA President Jules Rimet, whom the trophy is named after.
The very first tournament was held in 1930, with hosts Uruguay seeing off 12 other nations to win. Two further tournaments followed in 1934 and 1938, before the 1942 and 1946 competitions were cancelled due to the Second World War. Things got going again in 1950, and since then, the competition has been held every four years.
Over time, the competition underwent several format tweaks. In 1982, the number of teams was expanded to 24, with 32 being admitted from the 1998 tournament onwards. From 2026, 48 teams will be admitted.
The World Cup is hosted somewhere different every year. The tournament has been held in five continents so far, with Australia the only continent not to host at the time of writing.
Previous World Cup Winners
Year | Winners | Runners-up |
---|---|---|
2018 | France | Croatia |
2014 | Germany | Argentina |
2010 | Spain | Netherlands |
2006 | Italy | France |
2002 | Brazil | Germany |
1998 | France | Brazil |
1994 | Brazil | Italy |
1990 | West Germany | Argentina |
1986 | Argentina | West Germany |
1982 | Italy | West Germany |
1978 | Argentina | Netherlands |
1974 | West Germany | Netherlands |
1970 | Brazil | Italy |
1966 | England | West Germany |
1962 | Brazil | Czechoslovakia |
1958 | Brazil | Sweden |
1954 | West Germany | Hungary |
1950 | Uruguay | Brazil |
1938 | Italy | Hungary |
1934 | Italy | Czechoslovakia |
1930 | Uruguay | Argentina |
Who Has Won the Most World Cups?
Team | Number of World Cup Wins |
---|---|
Brazil | 5 (1958, 1962,1970, 1994, 2002) |
Germany | 4 (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014) |
Italy | 4 (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006) |
Argentina | 2 (1978, 1986) |
France | 2 (1998, 2018) |
Uruguay | 2 (1930, 1950) |
England | 1 (1966) |
Spain | 1 (2010) |
World Cup Key Stats
- Germany’s Miroslav Klose is the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer with 16 goals.
- Brazil is the only team to appear at every World Cup in history.
- Prior to the 2022 tournament beginning, only three players have played in five World Cups: Antonio Carbajal, Rafael Marquez (Mexico), and Lothar Matthaus (Germany).
- Pele is the only player to have won three World Cups.
World Cup 2022 Betting FAQs
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The tournament will kick off on 21st November at 13:00 local time (UTC+3) with the final taking place on 18th December 2022 at the Lusail Iconic Stadium at 18:00 local time (UTC+3).
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In the UK, the BBC and ITV are sharing coverage of the tournament.
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Brazil hold the record for the most World Cup wins, with five trophies to their name.
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The 2022 World Cup was initially scheduled to be played in the summer as normal. However, it was switched to November and December to avoid the sweltering Qatar heat.
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bet365, closely followed by Betfred and 10bet, is the best World Cup betting site we recommend.
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Yes – the Qatar World Cup will take place in winter instead of summer, which will impact the football competitions taking place during the winter months. The plans to accommodate for the World Cup have not been confirmed yet, but it has been suggested that the Premier League will start one week earlier and end one week later. That would mean that the Champions League and FA Cup finals would be pushed to June.
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The World Cup 2022 is scheduled to take place in Qatar.
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2022 World Cup tickets vary in price, with the Final World Cup match tickets starting from £443 to as much as £1,174. It comes down to which game it is and which category seat you choose.
ThePuntersPage Final Say
The World Cup is the biggest football event across the globe, and although the 2022 tournament will be a bit different in some respects, we do not expect the surrounding anticipation and excitement to change.
Every four years, the competition features the very best players on the planet, epic drama, and uplifting underdog stories. No wonder World Cup betting is so popular with punters and football fans everywhere