Betting on World Cup 2022 Guide

If you’re planning on betting on the football World Cup 2022, then we’ve got you covered. Our in-depth betting guide attempts to provide all the information you need to make winning bets come this November. Get tips, betting strategies and insight on where to find the best betting odds in New Zealand!

Football World Cup 2022 Odds

Futures betting for the winner of World Cup 2022 is already on offer at most major sports betting sites in New Zealand. The table below provides the top odds for each of the favourites:

Team	Best Bookmaker Odds	Bet on World Cup 2022
Brazil	N/A	N/A
France	N/A	N/A
England	N/A	N/A
Spain	N/A	N/A
Argentina	N/A	N/A
Germany	N/A	N/A
Portugal	N/A	N/A
Netherlands	N/A	N/A
Belgium	N/A	N/A

World Cup 2022 Favourites

While many of the teams taking part in this year’s event have what it takes to bring home the trophy, a few stand above the rest. Brazil is considered favourites to win by all top bookmakers at the moment. They are closely followed by other top teams such as France, Spain and England. Each team has had a good past couple years in international football and are going into the tournament in form.

Brazil

With five world championships under their belt, no one has a better track record at World Cup events than Brazil. The team hasn’t, however, been able to take down the title since 2002. This year should give Brazil their best chance in a while with a fully loaded team that excels at every facet of the game.

The team has two of the best goalkeepers in the game in Alisson and Ederson. The defense also has world-class names through the likes of Marquinhos and Eder Militao along with a great midfield which includes Fabinho and Casemiro. The attacking up front is arguably the team’s strongest point including talents like Neymar, Vinicius Jr., Philippe Coutinho and Gabriel Martinelli.

Brazil will come into the tournament with some good form, having come runners-up in the 2021 Copa America tournament. The team has also only lost 2 games in the last 27, although many were friendlies against not fully-stacked teams. Either way, Brazil will definitely be force to be reckoned with this year at the World Cup.

Brazil National 2022 Squad

France

As defending champions, France will have a lot to prove at this year’s iteration of the WC. The team will be looking to be the first team in over 60 years to retain the trophy. While France had a very disappointing Euro 2020, getting knocked out by Switzerland, the team still has one of the most talented squads in the world. 

Kylian Mbappe will be spearheading the attack alongside Karim Benzema and Antoine Griezmann, making a formidable trident of forwards. The French defense has been looking good in the past couple years as well with Jules Kounde and Dayot Upamecano.

France comes into the tournament with a favourable schedule, with only Denmark as a real challenge during the Group Stage. The team should be able to blow their way all the way to the quarter-finals where they could run into other top teams like Brazil or Spain. Regardless of their opponents, it would be hard to bet against the defending champs with a squad loaded with this much talent.

France National 2022 Squad

England

Semi-finalists at the 2018 WC and runners-up at Euro 2020, England have proven they can make deep runs in major tournaments. The only thing left to do is jump the last hurdle and take home a title. This World Cup may be the one to do it with one of the nation’s best teams to date.

Coach Gareth Southgate boasts one of the most talented squads in European football at present, with a side filled with both young and old. Players to look out for include Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden on the attacking side of the ball. All three come off terrific seasons in domestic leagues and should pose a huge threat to most top teams. Their midfield has also improved over the past couple years, bringing in names like Jude Bellingham, Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice.

Ultimately England’s fate may come down to their mentality. If they can overcome the shortcomings of past teams and not crumble under the pressure, there is no telling how far they can make it.

England National 2022 Squad

Spain

Spain has been a strong contender for WC titles in recent times and should continue to be this year as well. The team reached the semi-finals of Euro 2020 despite some mixed performances during the tournament. The team is transitioning between the old guard and new exciting talent with the 2022 World Cup perhaps the first tournament for the young team to really show their talent.

A few of the emerging names to keep a look out for on the team include Pedri, Dani Olmo and Mikel Oyarzabal. The soft spot on the team at the moment seems to be the lack of attacking power at the front. Gavi, Aymeric Laporte and Ferran Torres may however be able to make up for it with scoring power from the midfield and defense.

We don’t expect Spain to come out of its Group but may not be able to win it with Germany also in the mix. What happens to Spain after the Group Stage will likely come down to how the team gels and what form they enter the tournament with. At this point, Spain remains a big wild card and are just as likely to take the championship home as an exit in the early Knockout Stage.

Spain National 2022 Squad

World Cup 2022 Betting Markets

The World Cup should give bettors the chance to wager on every major type of soccer betting market. Some key bets types to keep an eye out for when the tournament comes around are:

Outright Winner

Wager on which team you think will win the whole tournament with the Outright Winner bet. You will be able to find Outright wagers well ahead of the tournament. Odds for the outright tournament winner are generally quite high due to the long and difficult journey to win. For the time being Brazil hold the lowest Outright odds and are considered the overall favourites to take the cup home.

World Cup Top Goalscorer

With the Top Goalscorer wager, you can bet on which player you think will score the most goals for the entire tournament. It will not matter if the player ends up on the winning team. It will however be beneficial to make picks that are on teams which make it far in the tourney, as they will have the most opportunities to score goals.

Odds for top goalscorer bets are generally quite high due to the unpredictability of matches between strong and weak teams. 

Double Chance 

Double Chance wagers allow you to pick both a team and a draw. If either of the two picks occurs, your wager will win. Due to the higher chance of winning Double Chance bets provide relatively lower odds. They are a great wager type however for players looking to make low-risk bets with a high chance of winning.

Handicaps

Football Handicaps involve giving one team a goal disadvantage and the other an advantage. The handicap is generally given in a goal or half goal increments (-0.5, -1, or 1.5) Example: If you wager on Spain with a -2.5 goal disadvantage, then Spain must win by three goals in order for your wager to payout. Handicaps are ideal for evening out very lopsided matches which are quite common in the Group Stages of the WC

Totals

Total bets involve making picks of whether the total number of goals, free kicks, corners or shots on goal will be over or under a certain number. The sports betting site will provide the number, all you have to do is decide if the total will be more or less. If you bet on the over you are saying they will exceed the number and if you bet on the under you are wagering that it will be lower than the number. Odds for Total wagers are generally close to even.

World Cup Betting Tips

Making winning World Cup bets can often come down to doing your research and making educated picks. Read through our tips section to make sure you get the most from your wagers and give yourself the highest chance to succeed.

Register at More Than One Bookmaker

When you register at more than one online sports betting site you will have options when it comes to betting odds. Not all sites provide the exact same odds for the same matches. So if you’re registered at many sites you will be able to shop for the best odds for your specific matchup. 

By registering at many sites you will also have the chance to take advantage of odds boosts and special wagers at each bookmaker. Most bookmakers will likely provide a number of special wagers for the tournament, each of which will be available to you if you register at multiple sites.

Do Your Research

Arguably the best piece of advice that can be given to any bettor is to do their research. A big part of making winning picks is taking the time to analyze matchups, players and the form of certain teams. 

We suggest first looking into each team’s recent results in the lead-up to the WC. Then consider recent head-to-head matchups between the two teams playing. You should also take into account lineups and any injuries to key players which could affect the game. Form of players will need to take into account both international and domestic league matches.

Some stats that you should keep track of when analyzing teams are the number of corners, shots on goal and time of possession. Each of these stats can be telling on how the team attempts to win. You should also take a look at results in past major tournaments to show you just how good or bad teams have been playing.

Wager On Low Risk Betting Markets

Bigger odds don’t always mean that a bet is good. Oftentimes it’s the lower risk wagers that may not payout as much but have a much better chance of winning that do well. Taking the small profits from low-risk bets is generally a good betting strategy.

A couple of low risk betting types to try out are Double Chances and Totals. Double Chances allow you to wager on both a team and the chance of a draw. So if your team wins or a draw occurs your wage will payout. Totals are even money bets which require only that you pick whether the total goals, free kicks or corners will be over/under a specific number. The number will be given by the sportsbook.

Don’t Live Bet Too Much

Placing wagers on live bets can look very simple but often lead to losses. We find it best practice to stick to pre-match betting for the most part. Pre-match wagers use research and take into account circumstances much more than impulsive live bets. It’s hard to do diligent research when placing live bets as there isn’t enough time to make a thorough analysis of the situation. 

World Cup Group Odds

The tournament will feature 8 Groups from A-H, each with 4 teams. The top 2 teams from each team will advance to the Knockout Round of the tournament. Each group currently provides three futures bets for every single team in the World Cup: Winner of Group, Advances to Next Stage (Yes) and Advances to Next Stage (No).

See the tables below for the current odds for each team in their Group. The following odds are taken from bet365 and 888.

Odds to Win Group A Draw

Team	Odds to win group A	Odds to advance (Y/N)
Qatar	+1,400	+500/-800
Ecuador	+600	+100/-138
Senegal	+450	-138/+100
Netherlands	-250	-800/+500

Odds to Win Group B Draw

Team	Odds to win group B	Odds to advance (Y/N)
England	-300	-2000/+1000
Iran	+1100	+400/-600
USA	+650	+100/-138
Path A winners	TBD	TBD

Odds to Win Group C Draw

Team	Odds to win group C	Odds to advance (Y/N)
Argentina	-250	-1200/+700
Mexico	+500	-110/-125
Poland	+450	-110/-125
Saudi Arabia	+2000	+500/-800

Odds to Win Group D Draw

Team	Odds to win group D	Odds to advance (Y/N)
France	-300	-1200/+700
Denmark	+300	-175/+125
Tunisia	+1100	+250/-350
AFC–CONMEBOL winners	TBD	TBD

Odds to Win Group E Draw

Team	Odds to win group E	Odds to advance (Y/N)
Spain	-120	-900/+550
Germany	+110	-900/+550
Japan	+1100	+333/-500
CONCACAF–OFC winners	TBD	TBD

Odds to Win Group F Draw

Team	Odds to win group F	Odds to advance (Y/N)
Belgium	-188	-900/+550
Canada	+1200	+275/-400
Croatia	+250	-175/+125
Morocco	+1000	+200/-275

Odds to Win Group G Draw

Team	Odds to win group G	Odds to advance (Y/N)
Brazil	-225	-900/+550
Cameroon	+1200	+240/-334
Serbia	+550	+125/-175
Switzerland	+450	+100/-138

Odds to Win Group H Draw

Team	Odds to win group H	Odds to advance (Y/N)
Ghana	+1100	+225/-300
Portugal	-150	-550/+350
South Korea	+1100	+225/-300
Uruguay	+200	-200/+150

World Cup 2022 Dates

The tournament will commence on Monday, Nov. 21 and will complete with the Final on the 18th of December. Like past editions, the WC will feature 32-teams in the group stage, which will break down into 16 for the Knockouts. The top two teams from each of the 8 groups will make it to the Knockout Stage. 

The Knockout Stage will be a single-game knockout competition all the way to the Final on December 18th. Find below a list of important dates which break down the 2022 tournament.

Group stage- Nov. 21 – Dec. 2

Round of 16- Dec. 3 – 6

Quarterfinals- Dec. 9 -10

Semifinals- Dec. 13 -14

Third-place match- Dec. 17

Final- Dec. 18

World Cup 2022 Best Betting Sites

To find the best betting sites for WC betting our experts had to create a set of criteria to evaluate each bookmaker. Each criteria attempts to find the sportsbooks which provide the best betting experience to New Zealand-based bettors. 

Best Betting Sites Criteria

• Betting Odds- review of the betting odds at each sportsbook compared to other popular betting sites in the region.
• Soccer Bet Types- a review of the number and quality of bet types on offer at each sportsbook.
• Live Betting & Streaming- a look atif live betting and live streaming are available and the quality of each.
• Mobile App- a review of the mobile accessibility to the sportsbook with special regard to any mobile app that may be available.
• Payment Options- a review of the payment methods provided for both deposits and withdrawals.
• Customer Support- a review of the customer service availability and response times.

Betting on World Cup 2022 FAQ

Looking for quick answers to frequently asked questions about betting on WC 2022? We have you covered with our FAQ section below.