2018 FIFA World Cup Betting
The world’s biggest sports event will take center stage this summer with the 2018 FIFA World Cup taking place in Russia from June 14 to July 15. National pride won’t be the only thing that’s on the line for soccer fanatics, as bettors from every corner of the planet will be looking to cash in on everything from futures and individual game bets to countless props provided by sportsbooks.
OddsShark is the internet’s top source for World Cup betting information. Whether you’re new to betting and are wondering how to bet on the World Cup, or if you’re looking for expert analysis on each game, OddsShark should be your first stop on your World Cup handicapping journey.
2018 World Cup Betting Basics
This is the 21st FIFA World Cup and the tournament will feature 32 national teams, including 20 teams that competed in the 2014 World Cup, which was won by Germany. It shouldn’t come as much of a shock that the Germans opened as the co-favorite to win the 2018 tournament — tied with Brazil — when odds were first released, coming in at +700. Germany will hope to join Italy and Brazil as the only countries to win back-to-back World Cups, but bettors will be interested to know there hasn’t been a repeat winner in the tournament since the 1962 World Cup.
Iceland and Panama will both be making their World Cup debuts and are considered extreme long shots to win the tournament. In addition to Germany and Brazil, the top of the World Cup oddsboard is filled with the usual soccer powerhouses, such as France, Spain and Argentina. Each of those nations has previously won a World Cup, with Spain’s win in 2010 being the most recent of the three.
Betting on the Home Team
The Russians will be looking to take full advantage of playing at home and will attempt to become the seventh host nation to win a World Cup. France is the most recent to accomplish the feat, in 1998. Oddsmakers originally opened Russia at +3300 to win the tournament, but they had a bit of luck in the World Cup group draw and landed in a group with Uruguay, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. They opened with +120 odds to win the group — second-best to Uruguay at EVEN.
Player Prop Bets
Aside from futures and game betting, World Cup bettors will also be wagering on individual player prop bets including the Golden Ball for best player and Golden Boot for top goalscorer, awards that are handed out post-tournament. Lionel Messi of Argentina captured the Golden Ball in 2014 while James Rodriguez of Colombia won the Golden Boot in that tournament after scoring six goals.
OddsShark will have up-to-date World Cup odds for every single game and prop bets prior to and during the tournament, so be sure to check in often and follow us on Twitter for up-to-the-second updates!
