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The most important football competition in the world is fast approaching. The 2022 World Cup will gather 32 nations from across the globe to compete for the coveted World Cup trophy. France comes in as the defending champions while Brazil enters as the winningest nation with five wins.
While both teams are viewed as the top teams in the competition, other World Cup 2022 favourites need to be considered. Here is a breakdown of the teams that could go all the way and lift the 2022 World Cup trophy.
Each punter is going to look for odds on favourites to win World Cup 2022 before signing up with a certain operator. From 32 nations, there are currently three favourites that are viewed as the biggest contenders for the title. Those being Brazil, France, and England.
Turning away from the World Cup 2022 favourites to win there are also teams that have the least amount of chance of winning. Whether you want it or not, somebody has to finish last. The three most obvious outsiders at the current moment are Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, and Iran.
Brazil is the most successful nation that has ever competed in the World Cup. They have competed at every World Cup so far and have managed to win it a record number of five times. They won their first title in 1958, held in Sweden, while their most recent trophy came in 2002.
Selecao dominantly reached the 2022 World Cup as they topped the South American qualifiers without a single loss. They finished four points clear of their biggest rivals, Argentina and recorded 14 wins and three draws.
Canarinhos are looking to get back to the top as they haven’t had a lot of success during the last four World Cups. Their biggest success was finishing fourth in 2014. However, with a team comprising of notable stars like Neymar, Thiago Silva, and Philippe Coutinho, backed up by young prospects in the likes of Vinicius Junior and Raphinha, Brazil has some high World Cup winner odds to finish first.
Les Bleus are competing in their seventh World Cup in a row and are coming in as defending champions, which in its own right makes them one of the top World Cup favourites. France has won the World Cup on two separate occasions, with their first trophy coming in 1998 at home ground. They seek to become only the third team, besides Italy and Brazil, to defend the title and win the World Cup two times in a row.
Didier Deschamps’s men reached the World Cup by topping Group D in the European qualification zone. They overcame Ukraine and Finland by winning five and tying three games. Their qualifying campaign was not as impressive as you would expect from a World Cup winner, but the games at the big show are what matters.
France comes in with a star-studded squad, led by superstar Kylian Mbappe. However, Les Bleus have star players in almost every position, which makes for a lot of pleasant headaches for the coach, Didier Deschamps. Mbappe will most certainly have the biggest support from Karim Benzema, who probably had the best season of his life late in his career and who will want to add the World Cup win as part of his trophy cabinet.
The Three Lions are always close, but never quite there. This time around, they are again ranked as one of the top World Cup favourites, but the question still lingers if they are able to pull their ranks to finally lift a major trophy.
The English side has won only a single World Cup trophy and it was way back in 1966 when they hosted the tournament. They showed flashes of greatness during the Euro 2020 when they got to the final, but stumbled at the very last step by losing to Italy.
Gareth Southgate’s men didn’t have a lot of trouble reaching the World Cup. They finished first in Group I, overcoming Poland and Albania as closest contenders. Harry Kane also finished the qualifying stage as the top goalscorer after bagging in 12.
Based on the names alone, England does deserve the highest World Cup 2022 favourites odds. But the history of the English side tells an entirely different story. After finishing their World Cup campaign in the Round of 16 two times and once in the Group Stage within the last five tournaments, they managed to earn fourth place in 2018. A side that features big names like Raheem Sterling, Jack Grealish, and Mason Mount should be viewed as one with high World Cup winner odds. But they do have to show it on the pitch as well.
This will be Tunisia’s sixth World Cup and their second one in a row. However, the Carthage Eagles are one of the tournament’s weakest sides and are predicted to finish among the last. At the most recent World Cup, they finished 24th overall but have recorded a single win, which is their second overall at the football’s biggest stage.
Tunisia got to the World Cup by eliminating Mali in a two-game header as part of the African playoff qualifiers. The Carthage Eagles won their first fixture by 1:0 thanks to a Moussa Sissako own goal. The second leg played in Rades finished without goals, which was enough for Jalel Kadri’s team to go through.
Tunisia will feature in Group D but will have to face the likes of France and Denmark. They are given minimal chances to advance and no World Cup winner odds. Not finishing dead last will be a victory for them on its own.
Saudi Arabia will feature in their sixth World Cup overall. After not qualifying for two tournaments in a row, they will now be entering their second one in a row. But the best days for the Green Falcons are long behind them. After making its debut in 1994 and reaching the Round of 16, Saudi Arabia mainly finished their campaign in the group stages of the competition. In 2002, they even finished dead last.
Saudi Arabia topped the Third Round Group B in the Asian qualifiers. They finished above contenders Japan and Australia with seven wins, two draws, and only a single loss. Before that, they topped the Second Ground Group D in front of Uzbekistan and Palestine without a loss.
The Green Falcons will play in Group C alongside Argentina, Mexico, and Poland. Their chances of grabbing at least a point are very low. All predictions point to them being cannon fodder for the likes of Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski, and Raul Jimenez
Iran will play their fifth World Cup competition and will appear for the third time in a row. However, Team Melli has never done anything of significance at the World Cup and has finished their campaign in the tournament's group stages each and every time. However, they did play surprisingly well during the 2018 World Cup, where they got a win, a draw, and a loss in three games, finishing 18th overall.
Iran topped Third Round Group A in the Asian qualifiers. They overcame the likes of South Korea and the United Arab Emirates as main contenders. They won the group quite comfortably with eight wins, one draw, and a single loss. Dragan Skocic’s team also had an impressive goal difference to boot, 15:4.
However, Iran will be playing in Group B, facing one of the World Cup 2022 favourites, England. We don’t see them as posing a significant threat and chances are that they finish their newest World Cup campaign as the last team in the group.
If you look closely at the table below, you will be able to find the latest World Cup 2022 favourites odds posted by the top three bookies. These should provide adequate help when placing your outright bets before or during the World Cup. But keep in mind that these odds are subject to change and may differ once the tournament starts and progresses.
| World Cup Favourites |  |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 5.00* | 5.00* | 5.50* |
| France | 7.00* | 7.00* | 7.00* |
| England | 8.00* | 8.00* | 8.00* |
| Spain | 9.00* | 9.00* | 8.50* |
| Argentina | 8.00* | 8.00* | 8.00* |
*Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change
Historically, the best nations to feature at the World Cup are Brazil, Germany, and Italy. Selecao has won the tournament five times, while both Die Mannschaft and gli Azzurri did the same four times.
Brazil has appeared in all 21 previous tournaments so far. They won five trophies with the last one coming in 2002 in Japan and South Korea. Brazil has the most wins overall at 73. They also hold the record of grabbing the most wins in a single tournament with seven. They are also one of two teams to defend their champion’s title successfully.
Germany featured in 19 World Cup tournaments so far and won four trophies, three of those as West Germany. Their most recent title came in Brazil at the 2014 World Cup. Germany’s Miroslav Klose with 16 and Gerd Muller with 14 are some of the tournament's top scorers of all time.
Italy is the third most successful nation in the World Cup. But the current European Champions will miss only their third World Cup in their history after being eliminated by South Macedonia in the qualifiers. Italy’s most recent win came in 2006 when they defeated France in one of the most memorable World Cup finals.
| World Cup Champions | Titles | Best odds to Win the group | Best odds to Win the 2022 World Cup |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 5 (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002) | 1.44* | 5.50* |
| Germany | 4 (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014) | 2.10* | 11.00* |
| Italy | 4 (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006) | - | - |
| Argentina | 2(1978, 1986) | 1.44* | 8.00* |
| France | 2 (1998, 2018) | 1.40* | 7.00* |
Uruguay |
2 (1930, 1950) | 3.00* | 41.00* |
| Spain | 1 (2010) | 1.90* | 9.00* |
| England | 1 (1966) | 1.36* | 8.00* |
*Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change
For more info on the World Cup favourites, consult the FAQ section.
You can find them with the help of our page, where you will be able to see the odds displayed by some of the top bookmakers.
Brazil has shown the best form as they went through the South American qualification cycle without a loss.
Some of the forward players to keep an eye on include Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema, and Cristiano Ronaldo.
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