A World Cup that a US team is not only playing in, but favored to win?

Yes, please!

Unlike their male counterparts, the U.S. Women’s National Team dominate their world of soccer, reigning supreme at the top of FIFA’s World rankings year in and year out. And just as they did 4 years ago in Canada, they will be put to the test in the greatest tournament of all, the World Cup. Can they win it again, for a record fourth time? Or will the host France be able to take home their own World Cup title, giving the country the word’s collection of World Cups?

 

Format

Just a quick introduction to how the World Cup plays out. There are six groups of four teams, usually comprised of a mix of good to, how to we put this politely, long-shots. After a round robin set of games, the top two teams from each group move on to the knock-out round, where you lose and you’re going home. 

With such a large gap between talent levels between the top ranked teams and the ones that are happy to be here, the teams moving on to the next stage seem pretty set in stone, with the U.S., France, Sweden, Italy, Brazil, England, Australia, Japan, The Netherlands, and Canada all looking good to secure 10 of the 16 knockout spots. Unlike in years past, this group of contenders is bigger and stronger, so there’s no simple road to the final. But we’ve broken down the group of 24 into different tiers so you can more easily decide who to bet on and how much to bet.

 

The Top 10

France (Group A, FIFA Rank: 4th, +300 to Win World Cup): The hostess with the most-est and looking to be the first country to hold both WC titles at once, the Blues are undefeated since February and an impressive 2-0-1 against their likely semifinal opponent, the…

 

The United States (Group F, FIFA Rank: 1st, +350): The USWNT have never failed to make a semis at the WC, and this team is as strong as ever, especially up front, with so much quality, last WC’s star, Carli Lloyd is coming off the bench. 

 

Germany (Group B, FIFA Rank: 2nd, +550): Two-time champions won 7 of their past 8 via shutout, with a +35 goal difference in those 8 games. They won the last big international competition with the Olympic gold medal in 2016 and have already beaten France and Sweden this year.

 

England (Group D, FIFA Rank: 3rd, +900): The third-place finisher in the last WC, England are riding high, outscoring opponents 29-1 during qualifying, while beating Japan and Brazil and tying the USWNT in last year’s SheBelieves Cup.

 

The Netherlands (Group D, FIFA Rank: 8th, +1000): A popular underdog pick, the reigning European champion Dutch are hoping to translate that success into the World Cup (unlike their male counterparts who didn’t even qualify for last year’s WC.) Their recent form has been much better than last year when they just made it into the WC via a playoff. 

 

Australia (Group D, FIFA Rank: 6th, +1700): Led by captain Sam Kerr (who joined the senior squad at age 15), the Matildas want to make it past the quarterfinals for the first time in their WC history. A recent coaching change injected some unneeded drama, but any team with Kerr on it has a chance to go far.

 

Japan (Group D, FIFA Rank: 7th, +1700): The 2011 WC champs beat Brazil and tied the USWNT is the SheBelieves Cup, all while fielding a squad of younger players to gain valuable experience before this competition. Fresh legs with a taste of big time games make Japan look very dangerous, and very good option at +1700. 

 

Canada (Group D, FIFA Rank: 5th, +2000): One more time for 36 year-old star Christine Sinclair, the 14 time Canadian player of the year only needs 4 goals in France to break Abby Wambach’s international record of 184. Their loss to the USWNT is the CONCACAF finals was their only defeat last year, with wins over England, Norway, and Sweden.

 

Sweden (Group F, FIFA Rank: 9th, +4000): After placing second at the 2016 Olympics in Rio( and annoying the hell out of US goalkeeper Hope Solo along the way) the Swedes didn’t fare as well in the last European Championships, losing in the quarters to eventual champions The Netherlands. They do well with a lead (again, sorry Hope Solo) so they’re always a threat.

 

Brazil: (Group C, FIFA Rank: 10th, +4500): Even though they’re ranked 10thin the world, and given long odds to win the WC, don’t ever count out Brazil. They’ve surrounded longtime stars Marta (her 5thWC appearance) and Formiga (her 7th!) with a collection of up-and-coming players who cruised through qualifying scoring 31 goals in 7 games while allowing only 2. Will they send their veterans off with a huge upset?

 

Besides picking overall WC winners, you can also pick leading goal scorers for each team, as well as Group winners, which, given the competitiveness of some of the groups, can be a good way to find earnings. Group C (Australia at -125 and Brazil at +150) , Group D (England at -143 and Japan at +135), Group E (Netherlands at -182 and Canada at +150), and especially Group F (US at -560 and Sweden at +350) can all get you something to build on.

 

It’s going to be a fun month of soccer! 

About the Author
By
888sport

The 888sport blog, based at 888 Towers in the heart of London, employs an army of betting and tipping experts for your daily punting pleasure, as well as an irreverent, and occasionally opinionated, look at the absolute madness that is the world of sport.

Related Content
What Are The Best Soccer Movies Of All Time?

Top 10 Best Soccer Movies

Best Premier League Soccer Teams

Best PL Soccer Teams

UEFA Champions League 2 of 2

UEFA Champions League 2/2

Champions League Round of 16

Champions League Round of 16

Man City Look To Keep Their Title Hopes Alive As They Visit Liverpool

EPL Week 12 Preview