The 2022 Qatar World Cup has officially kicked off, and the quarter-finals are underway. The current favorites for the 2022 World Cup are Argentina (+165) and defending champions France (+115).
The 2022 FIFA World Cup begins with a round-robin group stage, with the top 2 teams in each of the eight groups advancing to a single-elimination knockout stage.
The quarter-finals kicked off on Friday, with Croatia knocking out one of the biggest favorites in the tournament by beating Brazil on penalties, while Argentina beat the Netherlands. Morocco beat Portugal 1-0 to become the 1st African side to advance to the semi-finals next Saturday, with an upset start to the quarter-finals next Saturday. In the next match, France beat England 2-1 to move to the semi-finals against Morocco.
Odds of Winning Qatar 2022 World Cup
The latest World Cup odds for 12 December 2022 have Argentina and France as favorites, with Brazil eliminated. The end of the group stage brought some major surprises, with Germany and Belgium failing to reach the tournament’s knockout stages.
The quarter-finals started with an upset as Croatia defeated title favorites Brazil on penalties. After 90 minutes without a goal, Brazil appeared to have the advantage in extra time after Neymar scored in the 106th minute. But Croatia’s Bruno Petkovic equalized with an own goal in the 117th minute. That sent the match to a penalty shootout, with Croatia goalkeeper Dominic Livakovic saving one and Brazil’s Marquinhos saving another at the post for a blast. Cold victory.
Croatia will now reach the semi-finals. Brazil entered the match tournament as the top-ranked team and was the favorite to win the title, but they lost in the quarter-finals for the second consecutive time.
In the day’s other game, Argentina beat the Netherlands in a wild match ending in a penalty shootout. Argentina seemed in control at first after Lionel Messi flicked the ball to Nahuel Molina for the first goal in the 35th minute. They were leading 2-0 before scoring in the 73rd minute from the penalty shootout. But the Dutch leveled the score with two late goals, the second of which came within 11 minutes of stoppage time. Neither team scored in extra time, & the game went to a penalty shootout, where Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez made two saves to give Argentina the victory.
Argentina will face Croatia in the semi-final next Tuesday.
2022 World Cup favorites
- ARGENTINA (+165)
Argentina started the tournament as a favorite but stumbled out in one of the biggest upsets in its opening match against Saudi Arabia. It was a shock, especially after June’s Champions League win over Italy, with expectations high for Argentina. The team Argentina bounced back in the next two group games, beating Mexico and Poland to win the group stage and advance to the round of 16. Lionel Messi scored his third tournament goal in a knockout win against Australia. Argentina will now face the Netherlands in the quarter-finals.
- FRANCE (+115)
France is at the top of the odds table, and for a good reason. Unbeaten in European qualifiers, comfortably top of the group. It went on to win the group stage at the World Cup despite losing 1-0 to Tunisia in their final group game. Kylian Mbappe is the tournament’s top scorer with five goals, followed by team-mate Olivier Giroud. In the round of 16, France beat Poland & will now face England in the quarter-finals.
- ENGLAND
England won Group B with nine goals in three games before ousting Senegal 3-0 in the round of 16. They enter the tournament with poor results, including two losses to Hungary in the Nations League. Nonetheless, England looks to be a strong team at this World Cup, giving fans hope that England has improved after reaching the semi-finals in 2018. From experience alone, this team is lethal. Striker Harry Kane is likely to decline as the country’s all-time leading scorer. Center-back and captain Harry Maguire will try to lock down a defense that conceded four goals to Hungary in the Nations League game. Other stars include Raheem Sterling and Declan Rice, though Marcus Rashford has led the group with three goals.
| TEAM | CURRENT WORD CUP ODDS | PRE-TOURNAMENT ODDS | |
| Argentina | +165 | +550 | |
| Australia | +55000 | ||
| Belgium | +1900 | ||
| Brazil | +400 | ||
| Cameroon | +65000 | ||
| Canada | +32500 | ||
| Costa Rica | +100000 | ||
| Croatia | +800 | +6600 | |
| Denmark | +3000 | ||
| Ecuador | +27500 | ||
| England | +1000 | ||
| France | +115 | +750 | |
| Germany | +1200 | ||
| Ghana | +37500 | ||
| Iran | +55000 | ||
| Japan | +42500 | ||
| Mexico | +18000 | ||
| Morocco | +1100 | +25000 | |
| Netherlands | +1500 | ||
| Poland | +22500 | ||
| Portugal | +1700 | ||
| Qatar | +50000 | ||
| Saudi Arabia | +100000 | ||
| Senegal | +13000 | ||
| Serbia | +12500 | ||
| South Korea | +55000 | ||
| Spain | +900 | ||
| Switzerland | +13000 | ||
| Tunisia | +100000 | ||
| United States | +22500 | ||
| Uruguay | +4500 | ||
| Wales | +25000 |
World Cup Golden Boot odds 2022
Sportsbooks have France’s Kylian Mbappe and Argentina’s Lionel Messi among the favorites for the title, with Brazil’s Richarlison and England’s Harry Kane also on the table. The Golden Boot awards the top scorer of the competition.
The favorites to win the World Cup 2022, Golden Boot
- Harry Kane (+30000)
England’s Kane is the defending Golden Boot winner with six goals in 2018 when England finished fourth in the Championship. With his goal over Senegal in the round of 16, Kane is two goals behind English football legend Wayne Rooney, who currently holds the record for most goals in English football history. Kane is very likely to break this record in this World Cup.
- Kylian Mbappe (+250)
At just 23, Mbappe has already proven that he is one of the great players in the world. In the 2018 World Cup, he won the Best Newcomer Award. He was only 19 years old and became the youngest French player in the history of the World Cup. He has 28 goals for PSG in Ligue 1 in 2021-22 and is keen to break into the field. He has scored five goals already, including two in a knockout win over Poland, and with his side looking capable of going further in the Championship, he will have the chance to score more.
- Lionel Messi (+2900)
It is self-evident to regard Messi as the favorite candidate for the Golden Boot. He is arguably the greatest player of all time and has a good chance of winning the title, considering Argentina is the favorite this year. Not only is it his 1st Golden Boot, but if Argentina wins, it will also be his first World Cup title, which is surprising given his talent and reputation. At the 2014 World Cup, Messi won the Ballon d’Or, awarded to the tournament’s MVP.
- Cristiano Ronaldo (+50000)
Ronaldo enters the World Cup this year as the world’s top scorer with 117 goals for Portugal, who are not among the top five favorites for the title. That’s Ronaldo, though, and he’s the only title favorite besides defending champion Harry Kane, who has already won the Golden Boot (and Silver Boot).
World Cup Group Odds 2022
Before anyone can win the cup, 32 qualifying teams must emerge from the group stage, with two teams from each team/group advancing to the knockout stages. Each team will play the other once for three games on the group stage.
The group stage ended last week, with the top 2 teams in each group advancing to the knockout stage. Here’s how each group forms:
GROUP A
- Netherlands
The Netherlands looked more inconsistent than expected, especially considering it was the favorite. Still, it was good enough to win Group A and progress to the round of sixteen before being knocked out by Argentina in the quarterfinals.
- Senegal
Senegal finished second in their group & advanced to the knockout stage, where England knocked them out. The team still has the highest winning percentage of any African country in this World Cup.
- Ecuador
Ecuador qualified for this year’s World Cup in fourth place at CONMEBOL, leveling Argentina and Brazil in the process, but failed to be eligible after a loss to Senegal in the crucial final.
- Qatar
Qatar is hosting and participating in its first World Cup. Expectations are not high for the team to advance from the group stage, so it is no surprise to see the team lose every game and get eliminated.
GROUP B
- England
England was the favorite in Group B and almost immediately proved why, beating Iran by a massive margin. It finished top of its group after a draw with the United States & a win over Wales & is now in the quarterfinals.
- The U.S.
The U.S. side beat Iran to qualify for the group stage for the 1st time since 2014 but beats by the bigger and more experienced Netherlands in their first knockout game. Team USA was eliminated 3-1 on Saturday.
- Wales
It was Wales’ first World Cup appearance since 1958, and the highlight could be drawing with the United States in a game they almost lost. The lows included the loss to Iran, where the Welsh goalkeeper was sent off just in time for the side to concede two goals in stoppage time. Then a 3-0 loss to England in the final game sealed the team’s fate and sent Wales packing.
- Iran
It is the third consecutive World Cup for the Iranian team as the top seed in Asia, but they failed to qualify after being eliminated in the final group game against the U.S. team.
GROUP C
- Argentina
As expected, Argentina won their group first (despite a rough start) and advanced to the semi-finals with a win against the Netherlands. The team remains 1 of the favorites to finish the World Cup, thanks mainly to Lionel Messi’s stellar performances.
- Mexico
Since 1994, Mexico has competed in every World Cup and maintained its streak after finishing second in the CONCACAF qualifiers. Still, after being tied with Poland in the group standings, it lost ground on goal difference. A sad result, especially considering how close it was too moving on.
- Poland
Poland narrowly advanced through the group stage despite losing 2-0 to Argentina in their final group-stage game. The team lost and was knocked out by France in the round of 16.
- Saudi Arabia
As expected, Saudi Arabia terminates in the group stage. Still, its opening-game win against Argentina was the shock of the tournament and could make the whole thing feel like a success for the tournament’s biggest underdog.
GROUP D
- France
The 2018 winners were firm in their first two games and earned their way to the group stage. With Brazil out, France is one of the favorites, although it faces a tough quarterfinal draw with England.
- Denmark
Denmark was the biggest disappointment in this group, failing to progress after a surprising 1-0 loss to Australia in their final group game. The team expects to advance to at least the round of 16. Instead, they go home early.
- Tunisia
Tunisia’s victory over France may have been enough to feel like a moral victory since it does not expect to advance to the group stage anyway. Not really, but going home with a win at least gives it some positive vibes.
- Australia
Australia does not expect to make it out of the team/group stage, but a thrashing win over Denmark helped the fine form reach the round of 16. They were knockouts in the knockout rounds with a 2-1 loss to Argentina, but qualifying was far more than most fans could have hoped from the team.
GROUP E
- Spain
Spain ended the group stage level on points with Germany but advanced on goal difference in the decider. The real shock came when they lost to Morocco in the round of 16, knocking them out.
- Germany
Germany is out of the group stage in Another World Cup. It was a two-game winning streak that bordered on a national disgrace for this once-mighty team.
- Japan
Few fans would have expected the team to beat Germany and Spain to win the group stage and reach the knockout stages. In the end, Croatia eliminated Germany in the round of 16.
- Costa Rica
Costa Rica is the last team to be entitled to this year’s World Cup and starts tied with Saudi Arabia as the biggest underdogs. It eventually failed to make it out of the team/group stage, but a 1-0 win over group winners Japan will have to serve as a consolation prize.
GROUP F
- Belgium
Belgium was the favorite to win the group initially but failed to qualify for the group stage. Rumor has it that the team is having issues with cohesion and cooperation within the squad. This disappointing result only partially takes that away.
- Croatia
Croatia’s runners-up finish at the 2018 World Cup silenced many doubters, and this year they stunned further by beating Brazil in the quarterfinals to move forward to the semi-finals.
- Morocco
Morocco advanced to the next round and qualified for the group stage, surprising many people. The team has some solid talent under the leadership of Achraf Hakimi and Hakim Ziyech and has proven to be 1 of the most talented teams in the African region. Morocco will now face Portugal in the quarterfinals.
- Canada
Canada has entered the World Cup for the 1st time in 36 years. It eliminates even before the group stage was over due to losses in the first two games. But just being here is a success.
GROUP G
- Brazil
Brazil won great games with style and swagger but suffered a major upset in their quarterfinal loss to Croatia, and it was a knockout.
- Switzerland
Switzerland beat Serbia 3-2 in the last group-stage match. Although Portugal’s 6-1 defeat in the round of 16 sent the team home, it was enough to earn them second place in their group & a place in the next game.
- Serbia
Serbia fell short of what they needed most in their final group game and now goes home without a win at this World Cup.
- Cameroon
Cameroon did not progress but ended on a high note with a shock 1-0 win over tournament and group favorites Brazil.
GROUP H
- Portugal
Portugal did not perform well in the qualifiers and lost to South Korea in the final group game, but it still completed well and qualified for the group. It now faces Morocco in the quarterfinals.
- Uruguay
In the last World Cup, Uruguay lost to eventual champion France in the quarterfinals. This year, Uruguay was eliminated in the group stage after South Korea finished second.
- Ghana
Ghana showed promise in qualifying after struggling to beat their opponents and earn a place in the tournament, but two defeats in the group stage doomed it to elimination.
- South Korea
South Korean team beat Portugal at a crucial moment to finish second in the group but was knockout by Brazil in the round of 16.