Football is without a doubt one of the world’s most diverse and fastest growing sports. It seems like the popularity of the sport only rises each year. In fact, the World Cup brings in more attendance than the Olympics, which opens the window for a variety of betting opportunities. Well, with June 14th right around the corner, now is the time to learn everything that you possibly can about betting on the 2018 FIFA World Cup. June 14th is just the beginning of the tournament and it starts with 32 different teams.
Sure, there will be some underdogs and it is possible that they might win the entire thing, but the truth of the matter is that it is incredibly rare for an underdog nation to go home with the World Cup. So, what exactly do you need to know about this upcoming and exciting tournament?
What You Need To Know About The Format
Before you just run out and start betting on the World Cup, you need to completely understand the format in which the games are set up. First of all, the 2018 FIFA World Cup actually began back in 2015 when the first round of the qualifying games took place. 209 teams from around the nation had to face off and see who would qualify. Russia was the exception, they automatically got an into the tournament, because it is being hosted in their home nation. Eventually, these 209 faced up against each other until there were only 32 left.
On December 1st, all 32 of these teams were thrown into a random drawing and this random drawing will determine the seeding of each of these 32 teams. All 32 teams are then placed in eight different groups that consist of four teams in each group. These groups will then play the best of three games against each other until there is only one team left in each of the eight groups. Once there are only eight teams left the groups will face off with each other in single-elimination games to see who battles for the World Cup.
This is how the groups drew out for the 2018 FIFA World Cup:
Group A: Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Uruguay
Group B: Portugal, Spain, Morocco, and Iran
Group C: France, Australia, Peru, And Denmark
Group D: Argentina, Iceland, Croatia, and Nigeria
Group E: Brazil, Switzerland, Costa Rica, and Serbia
Group F: Germany, Mexico, Sweden, and South Korea
Group G: Belgium, Panama, Tunisia, and England
Group H: Poland, Senegal, Colombia, and Japan
A Look At This Year’s Favourites
If you have been an established football fan for quite some time you probably already know that Brazil and Germany are the current favourites to bring home the World Cup. In fact, every time the World Cup rolls around it seem like Brazil is always one of the favourites since they have already won the entire tournament five times. And, this is not to even mention the fact that Germany is the defending championship team and own four title win in their own right. As of right now both Brazil and Germany are ranked at +450 favourites.
That being said, if these two teams face off in the championships again, the game could come down who wants it more. Brazil is without a doubt looking for revenge, as they got embarrassed in 2014 with a 7 to 1 blowout. However, Germany hasn’t finished lower than third place since 2002, so they have a pretty solid team with a great group aspect. While Brazil hasn’t captured the World Cup since 2002, they did defeat the Germans for the title.
It is no surprise that both the Brazilian and German 2018 teams are loaded with talent that can score on command. The Brazilian team has scored right around 41 goals in the last 18 qualifying games, and the Germans have racked up 43 goals with 10 straight wins. In addition to, the Germans could possibly have an edge on the defensive side of things, as they have only allowed four total goals in those 10 straight wins.
Some Players To Keep An Eye On
Everyone has his or her own favourite players, but it is no doubt that there will be some key players that could be the very making or breaking point for their teams. Who are these players and what teams do they play for?
Lionel Messi – Even though Messi and his Argentina team have never captured a World Cup, he has had a total of three World Cup appearances. In fact, Messi is regarded by many as being the best player in the FIFA world today. He had an awesome showing in the 2014 tournament with 4 goal and 694 minutes of play, but it just wasn’t enough to pull out ahead of Germany.
Cristiano Ronaldo – While Ronaldo from the Portugal team has only scored a total of three goals in his three trips to the World Cup; he is still a very capable player. He is nowhere as fast as he used to be, but he still is known for being in the right place at the right time.
Neymar – If you ask many Brazilian fans they will tell you that the injury of Neymar is one of the main reasons that the Brazilian team got blown out by the Germans in the 2014 World Cup. Whatever the situation is, it is no mistake that Neymar can do it all. Of course, everyone is still waiting in anticipation to see if he will recover from that broken foot that he suffered back in March. So, Neymar might not even get to see this year’s tournament.
Robert Lewandowski – Poland has a lot of good players, but when it comes to one-man shows, there is no one better than Robert Lewandowski. This guy has racked up an impressive total of 16 goals in all of the qualification games thus far.
Always Stay Up On The Odds
Just remember that June 14th isn’t here just yet and there is a lot that can change between now and then. If you want to truly keep ahead of the game and make sure you are making the most sensible bets, keep up on all the latest odds and betting information here by joining the Betting Gods Free World Cup Betting Tips newsletter.
