2018 FIFA World Cup Odds & Betting Predictions

The 2018 FIFA World Cup gets underway on June 14, as host nation Russia takes on Saudi Arabia in what may be the hosts’ only winnable match in group play. Now that World Cup odds have come out for the teams contesting for the most prestigious trophy in soccer, it’s time to take a look at the teams that have the best shot at winning it — and the implications for your sports betting strategy on this tournament.

2018 FIFA World Cup Odds & Betting Predictions

Latest 2018 World Cup Odds

• Germany, Brazil (4/1)
• France, Spain (6/1)
• Argentina ( 7/1)
• Belgium (10/1)
• England, Portugal (20/1)
• Uruguay (25/1)
• Poland (30/1)
• Colombia, Russia, Croatia (40/1)
• Mexico (60/1)
• Denmark (80/1)
• Switzerland ( 100/1)
• Sweden, Senegal (150/1)
• Serbia, Egypt, Iceland, Peru ( 200/1)
• Costa Rica, Nigeria (250/1)
• Japan (300/1)
• Australia, Morocco, South Korea (500/1)
• Iran, Panama, Saudi Arabia (1,000/1)

World Cup Groups

• A: Egypt, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
• B: Iran, Morocco, Portugal, Spain
• C: Australia, Denmark, France, Peru
• D: Argentina, Croatia, Iceland, Nigeria
• E: Brazil, Costa Rica, Switzerland, Serbia
• F: Germany, South Korea, Mexico, Sweden
• G: Belgium, England, Panama, Tunisia
• H: Colombia, Japan, Poland, Senegal

Group G is an intriguing group — and has two potential picks down the odds sheet who could end up paying off big-time. Belgium’s roster is young and full of talent — and they won their qualification group, taking nine of 10 matches. They have Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku running the attack, and all of them contribute heavily for their sides in the English Premier League. They combined to score 43 goals in the qualification rounds. Then there’s England. None of the Englishmen play club soccer outside the country, which means that they can get their players together easily for training camps. They also have Harry Kane, who has put up more than 25 goals in Premier League play this season and led the league in goals in 2017. The English have only won one World Cup — and they did it in 1966, the year they hosted the tournament. Could they push through this year? Expect Mexico to have some problems in Group F. When the World Cup is held in Europe, European teams tend to dominate play. Mexico already took a 4-1 loss against fellow group team Germany at the Confederations Cup last summer, a game that was not as close as the score indicated, and another bad beating will leave Mexico on the short end as far as goal differential goes — and that assumes that El Tri can get a draw against Sweden, which is no guarantee. Group H could yield surprises for Poland, who have used their schedule to pump up their FIFA rankings earn a seed. However, they don’t have much on their roster aside from Robert Lewandowski. I expect Colombia and Senegal to come out of that group. Looking for a dark horse? Consider Costa Rica. They should be able to elbow past Serbia and Switzerland to get to the round of 16, and they made it all the way to the quarterfinals in 2014, losing to the Netherlands on penalty kicks. They played a big role in eliminating the United States from CONCACAF qualification for the World Cup and, if they keep their form, could push deep into this tournament as well. Another dark horse could be Peru. Ricardo Gareca has an international reputation as being one of the best managers in the sport. Their roster has Raul Ruidiaz, Edison Flores and Christian Cueva. France will be a tough task in group play, but Australia is eminently beatable, and Denmark has some fragility as well. If Paolo Guerrero gets medical clearance to play, Peru suddenly looks quite dangerous. Also — don’t overlook Ireland. They beat Croatia during UEFA qualifying, and they should have quieted any doubters during their quarterfinal run at Euro 2016, which ended in a loss to France.