The Ultimate World Cup Betting Guide for Football Fans

The 2022 World Cup is just around the corner. If you haven’t prepared properly don’t worry, our World Cup betting guide is specifically for you. We’ll take you through the process of how the World Cup works, from qualification to the final 32 in Qatar. Further down below you’ll also find our World Cup top goalscorer odds. Keep this guide close even when the matches have begun.

Betting on the World Cup is simpler than you’d think. Every single online sportsbook site in the UK covers the tournament and you’ll find plenty of land-based bookies as well. The most popular bets will be the outright bets on the final and the top goal scorer. We also gathered our group stage predictions down below so you can navigate the online betting markets easier. If you’re interested in single-match betting within the group stage, keep an eye on our betting tips.

How the World Cup Works – Your Betting Guide for the World Cup

Everybody knows that this is the biggest single sports tournament in the world. Well, 2022 Qatar is also the most expensive World Cup ever. But how does the World Cup work exactly? We’re going to break down the whole process of the tournament, and not leave even one bit out of the good stuff. The World Cup had many formats but the current one is known as the most popular one. In the following subsections, you’ll find the description of each phase. The main ones are the qualification process and the final tournament.

Qualification Process and the FIFA Confederations

If you know your way around you’ve already heard about the qualification process. Earlier World Cup betting guides covered the topic widely until the final 32 was announced. After the second tournament in 1934, FIFA divided the qualification process into multiple tournaments.

The six FIFA continental zones are Africa, Asia, North and Central America and the Caribbean, South America, Oceania, and Europe. These zones play a huge part in how the World Cup works today. All of these zones also have their respective confederations like UEFA, CAF, and so on.

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The qualification is a long process, and it usually starts three years before the final. Two-three years of qualification matches is a bit much and many people lose track of which stage the tournament is at. Each of the aforementioned confederations has a specific number of berths reserved for qualification. These are decided by FIFA and are primarily based on the strength of the teams. For the 2022 World Cup, the allocated places looked like this:

Europe (UEFA): 13

Africa (CAF): 5

Asia (AFC): 4.5 + H

Oceania (OFC): 0.5

North and Central American and Caribbean (CONCACAF): 3.5

South America (CONMEBOL): 4.5

The H indicates a spot for the hosts, Qatar, this year. Four confederations have a fraction of a number, indicating a place in a direct play-off. In the 2022 tournament, these spots were earned by Australia, Costa Rica, Peru, and New Zealand.

How Does the Final Tournament Work? – World Cup Betting Guide

The current format of 32 teams has been the most successful layout of the final tournament. It has been used since 1998 but unfortunately for its fans, the 2022 World Cup is the last time this format will be used. FIFA extended the number of final berths available to 48 for the next tournament.

This decision split the opinions of fans but there’s not much to do save for accepting this is how the World Cup will work in the future. The final tournament lasts less than two months but the excitement from the four yearlong build-ups is worth it. There are two stages here: the group stage and the knockout stage.

The Group Stage Builds up Plenty of Excitement

The group stage follows a simple format in which the 32 teams are divided into 8 groups of four. Online sportsbook sites in the UK even provided multiple betting markets related to the World Cup qualification before. And the good thing is that now in the final, all of the 32 teams receive plenty of attention. Each team will face their group opponents once, meaning there will be a total of six matches per group.

No World Cup betting guide is complete without group-stage predictions. Each of the eight groups has at least one powerhouse of a team and the matches should be electrifying and entertaining, to say the least. The battle for the 2nd spot is usually the toughest and that’s where the various tie-breaking will come in. As a quick reminder, we listed the teams for each group down below along with the best World Cup group stage betting odds:

Group A betting predictions: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands

Group B betting predictions: England, Iran, USA, Wales

Group C betting predictions: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland

Group D betting predictions: France, Australia, Denmark, Tunisia

Group E betting predictions: Spain, Costa Rica, Germany, Japan

Group F betting predictions: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia

Group G betting predictions: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon

Group H betting predictions: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea

The Real Battle Begins at the Knockout Stage

The knockout stage is much simpler than the group stage. It’s a single-elimination tournament so the teams only get one chance to advance. There are no draws from this point on, someone has to win and someone has to lose. If the score is even at the full time each World Cup knockout fixture will be continued in extra time and an additional penalty shootout if needed. In the Round of 16, the group winners will play one of the runner-ups from another group.

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The Round of 16 is followed by the quarter-finals, the semi-finals, the third-place match, and the final. Third-place matches are always played between the two losing teams from the semi-finals. Once the World Cup reaches the knockout stage it’s best to follow sites like 888sport. The tournament will be covered by nearly every news site in the world so it doesn’t hurt to know where to look for the best World Cup odds.

2022 World Cup Top Scorer Odds and Predictions

Playing in the World Cup is different. Players know the weight that comes with the representation of their countries, which is no doubt heavier than that of their club. Everyone from fans to staff to players takes the World Cup more seriously than any other tournament.

The qualification is difficult enough on its own but even an injury that lasts no more than two months could shatter a player’s dreams. Some of the biggest football stars will miss the 2022 World Cup for the very same reasons. That’s just how the World Cup works.

With the current format for the final tournament, a team can play a maximum of seven matches. Let’s say a player is fortunate and skilled enough to have a career of 15 years and he qualifies for every single World Cup in that timespan.

That’s four tournaments and a maximum of 28 matches but they would have to go to four consecutive finals to achieve this feat, which is nothing short of impossible. Miroslav Klose played in four World Cup tournaments and holds the record for most goals scored, 16 goals in 24 matches.

Everyone’s Excited to See the Best Goalscorers in One Place – World Cup Betting Guide

We’ll be missing some of the best strikers in Qatar but there’s plenty of talent left in the pool. The odds for the top scorers at the tournament are available on most online sportsbook sites in the UK but we gathered the best of them, here in this article. 

Harry Kane Enters the Rankings as the Favourite for Top Scorer

According to the latest data and statistics, England’s Harry Kane is the favourite to be the top goalscorer of the tournament. His odds are 7/1, as of early November. Kane has been performing well with his club, having scored 10 goals in 13 appearances this season so far. He was also amazing during the UEFA qualifiers last year but last season’s statistics cannot reflect a player’s current form. 

One of the biggest concerns here is England going down in flames in the Nations League a few months ago. Southgate’s lions didn’t win a single match and Kane only scored 2 goals in 6 appearances. There is a lot of pressure on the shoulders of the 29-year-old, who’s been team captain for six years now. If you’d like to stay updated on Harry’s World Cup odds, keep an eye on 888sport.

Will Kylian Mbappé’s Goals Be enough to Defend France’s Title?

The soon-to-be 24-year-old has been one of the hottest football talents for the past couple of years now. Mbappé has 18 goals in 18 appearances across all competitions this season. He’s always the clear favourite to be the top goalscorer in Ligue 1 and has good chances in the UCL as well. But Mbappé’s and France’s performance this year needs to be addressed. 

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France’s Nations League performance was almost as bad as England’s. They only won one match out of six. Kylian played in five matches and scored twice. Despite a poor performance by his standards the odds of Mbappé becoming the top goalscorer at the World Cup this year are 9/1. On the last note, it’s a bit alarming if you struggle to score when you have Mbappé, Benzema, Griezmann, Nkunku, Giroud, and Ben Yedder as your attacking options.

Karim Benzema – How Many Strikers Will France Put on the Pitch?

Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Don’t take this literally, we love Benzema over here. The 2022 Ballon d’Or winner’s World Cup top scorer odds are 10/1. As good as the Frenchman is, his club performance is the only thing that’s pulling the odds in his favour. After finishing as the top goalscorer in LaLiga and the Champions League, online sportsbook news in the UK dubbed Benzema the best striker in the world.

The forward only scored in one international match this season. In Karim’s defence, he only played in three games and was benched or injured during the rest. Benzema has been struggling with a lot of injuries this season but most of them were minor ones thankfully. He’s no doubt one of the best goalscorers in the world but we don’t think it’s the best idea to choose Benzema as your pick for the World Cup top scorer this year.

Lionel Messi Is Coming For Everything, Including the World Cup Top Scorer Award

Here comes trouble. Argentina and Brazil are currently the two best teams in the world and Portugal aren’t far behind either. This season, Messi has 26 goal contributions in 16 appearances and that’s with PSG alone.

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But there’s something else as well. Argentina haven’t lost a single match since 3 July 2019. Within all international competitions this year, Messi played in six matches and scored 10 goals. His odds to be the top goal scorer at the World Cup are 14/1 on 888sport.

Neymar Is About to Make International History With Brazil

Messi and Neymar playing together is something magical. The Brazilian forward has 25 goal contributions in 18 matches for his club. As for the international scene, Neymar only needs three goals to break Pelé’s record and become his country’s top scorer of all time. His World Cup top scorer odds’ aren’t bad either.

He’s been injured quite a lot earlier this year so the 30-year-old only played in four international matches. However, Neymar still managed to score five goals. The Brazilian’s World Cup top scorer odds are around 14/1, which is constantly updated on all online sportsbook sites in the UK.

Will 2022 Be Cristiano Ronaldo’s Last Dance?

CR7 hasn’t been in his usual form this season. He only has 3 goals and one assist so far in 14 appearances across all competitions. As the captain, top goal scorer, and most capped player of his country, Ronaldo’s name carries a lot of respect in international competitions. Cristiano played in seven matches for Portugal this year and scored two goals. His odds to finish as the 2022 World Cup top scorer are 16/1 on 888sport. Ronaldo will be 41 during the next tournament but we’ll just have to wait and see how he and the World Cup will work then.

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