The leading betting nations at the 2022 FIFA World Cup are heading into the tournament with both eyes firmly on the famous trophy.
South American power Brazil — the most successful nation in World Cup history — have been predicted to be the top side in pretty much every recent tournament, thanks to their five previous World Cup titles.
European heavyweights Germany, Spain and England are also often atop the favourites list, with mixed results at the tournaments themselves.
Brazil’s rivals Argentina, led by Messi in potentially his last World Cup, are also tipped by many to go far.
So how do the favourites perform across the World Cup? It often varies, as the randomness of sports never fails to excite fans. Some top sides live up to expectations, while others fall spectacularly short.
Here we take a look at the recent records.
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How favourites perform at recent FIFA World Cup tournaments
2010 World Cup
Heading into the 2010 World Cup, Spain were considered the betting favourite, with 4/1 odds. Brazil, always in the mix every year, were given a 9/2 chance to succeed, while England sat at 6/1. Argentina entered with 13/2 odds, and the Netherlands rounded out the top five at 10/1.
The tournament nearly followed the script to the letter. Spain, as favourites, lifted the World Cup trophy, while the Netherlands made the final, Germany reached the semifinals and Brazil and Argentina made the quarterfinals.
The only stragglers were England, who fell to Germany thanks to a tough Round of 16 draw after finishing second to the United States in their group.
In this instance, the FIFA World Cup’s betting favourite came out on top.
2014 World Cup
On home soil, Brazil went into the 2014 World Cup as betting favourites, ahead of No. 1-ranked Spain. The Selecao sat at around 3/1 odds at the start of the tournament, with Argentina at 9/2, Germany at 13/2 and Spain at 6/1.
But Brazil were ousted in embarrassing fashion, famously hammered 7-1 by Germany in the semifinals, before losing 3-0 to the Netherlands in the third-place match.
However, two near-favourites made the finals, with Germany beating Argentina 1-0 in extra time to secure the title. While the top-rated team didn’t emerge victorious, the two finalists were considered real contenders before the tournament’s start.
2018 World Cup
At the time of the 2018 World Cup draw, Germany were considered the betting favourite to win the tournament at 9/2, with Brazil close behind at 5/1.
However, by the time the tournament began, Brazil had overtaken the Germans and were considered the most likely side to win the World Cup. Brazil had 9/2 odds to emerge victorious, with Germany just slightly behind at 19/4.
That’s not even remotely close to how the tournament played out. Germany flopped hard, crashing out of the group stage, finishing below Sweden, Mexico, and South Korea.
Meanwhile, Brazil reached the quarterfinals but were sent packing by Belgium via a 2-1 defeat. France emerged victorious with a 4-2 victory in the final against Croatia.
MORE: Sporting News World Cup predictions 2022
Who are the favourites for the 2022 World Cup?
Brazil are considered the betting favourites for World Cup 2022 prior to the tournament’s start. The Selecao are the most successful nation in World Cup history, with five trophies.
France, England, and Argentina are close behind, also considered some of the best sides in Qatar.
Pre-tournament odds via BetMGM (USA), Sports Interaction (Canada), Sky Bet (UK) and Ladbrokes (Australia)
| Country | BetMGM (US) |
Sports Interaction (Canada) |
Sky Bet (UK) |
Ladbrokes (Australia) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | +400 | 3.40 | 7/2 | 5.00 |
| Argentina | +500 | 4.30 | 11/2 | 6.50 |
| France | +600 | 4.91 | 6/1 | 7.00 |
| England | +800 | 5.80 | 7/1 | 8.00 |
| Spain | +800 | 5.81 | 8/1 | 9.00 |
| Germany | +1000 | 7.03 | 10/1 | 11.00 |
| Belgium | +1400 | 10.60 | 16/1 | 13.00 |
| Netherlands | +1400 | 9.39 | 14/1 | 13.00 |
| Portugal | +1400 | 9.41 | 14/1 | 15.00 |
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