2022 Qatar World Cup – Betting Preview

We could talk for hours about the various moral issues surrounding the 2022 Qatar World Cup but it’s been done to death already. Obviously, there is a shadow over the tournament but we are going to leave the politics alone and try to find a few outright betting angles that will hopefully earn us a few quid. First of all we’ll look at each group and then we’ll have a look at some outright markets where hopefully, we can nick a winner or two.

2022 Qatar World Cup: Group A

Team	Group Odds	Outright Odds	Star Player
Qatar	17.00	501.00	Akram Afif
Ecuador	7.00	251.00	Moises Caicedo
Senegal	5.50	101.00	Ismaila Sarr
Netherlands	1.55	14.00	Memphis Depay

This Group looks Netherlands to lose. The Oranje have been rejuvenated by the appointment of Louis Van Gaal. He has them scoring lots of goals and he is getting a right tune out of the likes of Depay, De Jong, Dumfries and Van Dijk. No less than nine outfield players managed to score during the qualifying campaign and the Dutch fans will have massive hopes heading into the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

It looks to be a straight fight between Senegal and Ecuador for second spot. Senegal are currently the best side in Africa. They won the AFCON in 2021 and they qualified for the 2022 Qatar World Cup by beating Egypt in a penalty shootout. They can call upon Premier League players like Edouard Mendy, Koulibaly, Nampalys Mendy, Idrissa Gueye and also Watford striker Ismaila Sarr. However, Sadio Mane is injured and without him, they could face an uphill task.

Ecuador have an exciting, young team. Three Brighton players could feature, including the hugely talented midfielder, Moises Caicedo. Enner Valencia has scored 35 goals for his country and the Fenerbahce striker’s experience will be key up front. In the warm conditions the youth and energy of Ecuador could make the difference against Senegal in the battle for second. The hosts look low on quality and they look set for the wooden spoon.

Group A Prediction

1. Netherlands
2. Ecuador
3. Senegal
4. Qatar

2022 Qatar World Cup: Group B

Team	Group Odds	Outright Odds	Star Player
England	1.40	9.5	Harry Kane
Iran	21.00	750.1	Mehdi Taremi
USA	7.00	301.00	Christian Pulisic
Wales	7.00	401.00	Gareth Bale

This could turn out to be a very tight group. England are long odds on, despite their desperate showing in the Nations’ League. Odds compilers are basing their prices on their exploits at the Euros and also their semi-final appearance at the last World Cup. They have a squad packed with quality and a guaranteed source of goals with Harry Kane up front. Saka, Grealish, Mount, Bellingham and Sterling are all extremely talented attacking players but Gareth Southgate is unlikely to deviate from the defensive style that has served him so well in the past.

Iran are ranked 20th in the world and they are another very conservative team. Carlos Queiroz is their manager and they’ll be looking to sit deep, stay compact and use the talent of Porto man Mehdi Taremi on the counter. Iran vs England could be one for the purists given the styles favoured by both head coaches.

The Bale Factor

Wales will rely heavily on Gareth Bale to provide moments of magic, from set pieces especially. He is clearly not the force he was, like Aaron Ramsey, but Rob Page has brought some talented younger players through. The likes of Dan James and Neco Williams will bring loads of energy and pace out wide but they look limited in midfield and that could be their downfall eventually. However, the Bale factor might be enough to see them through to the knockout stages.

The US are an interesting team. They’ve got plenty of young players plying their trades in Europe’s top leagues. Dest at Milan, McKennie at Juve, Aaronson and Adams at Leeds, Pulisic at Chelsea and Reyna at Borussia Dortmund. They are a high energy, pressing team but they can struggle to score goals. They should be pretty exciting to watch but unless they can start finding the back of the net, an early exit could be on the cards.

Group B Prediction

1. England
2. Wales
3. Iran
4. USA

2022 Qatar World Cup: Group C

Team	Group Odds	Outright Odds	Star Player
Argentina	1.44	7.00	Lionel Messi
Saudi Arabia	26.00	1001.00	Salem Al-Dawsari
Mexico	6.00	201.00	Edson Alvarez
Poland	6.50	201.00	Robert Lewandowski

Saudi Arabia will likely play the role of whipping boys in this group and Argentina are short odds to win Group C. Lionel Messi remains their talisman and he has found his form again in Ligue 1. The Argentinian squad is stacked with talent but they often flounder under the pressure at World Cups. 2014 was the exception when they reached the final but that’s the only time they’ve made it past the QF stage since 1990. Will likely win this Group easily but then could face either Denmark or possibly France. Neither would be easy opponents.

Mexico and Poland will fight it out for the runner up spot. Mexico are perennial underachievers at the World Cup. They’ve had some very good sides and players down through the years but they’ve only made it past the last 16 twice. They’ve got a decent squad again this year and Ajax midfielder Edson Alvarez is one to watch, as is Napoli attacker Hirving Lozano. Mexico usually make it through the Group stage and they should do so again.

Poland are another team that has struggled to make their mark in recent major tournaments. They have a decent pedigree, finishing 3rd in 1974 and 1982. They crashed out at the first hurdle in Russia in 2018 and they are heavily reliant on Lewandowski up front. Stop him, and you usually stop Poland. They may have to settle for third and an early flight home.

Group C Prediction

1. Argentina
2. Mexico
3. Poland
4. Saudi Arabia

2022 Qatar World Cup: Group D

Team	Group Odds	Outright Odds	Star Player
France	1.47	9.50	Kylian Mbappe
Australia	21.00	751.00	Aaron Mooy
Denmark	4.00	34.00	Christian Eriksen
Tunisia	19.00	750.00	Gareth Bale

This looks like one of the more straightforward groups at the 2022 Qatar World Cup on paper, but that may not be the case. France have a hugely talented squad, but they’ll be without the injured Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante. That leaves a big hole in midfield and Karim Benzema has been struggling with injury too. They’ll be hoping that Kylian Mbappe does better than he did at the Euros.

Denmark are a dangerous opponent for any team. They have a brilliant team spirit, epitomised by Christian Eriksen and their leader and captain, Simon Kjaer. They are versatile tactically, usually playing three at the back against the ‘top’ teams and then going 4-3-3 against lesser opposition. The big worry for Kasper Hjulmand is the lack of a top class, central striker. However, they have more than enough quality elsewhere to compensate and they could go deep at this World Cip.

Australia and Tunisia will be looking to capitalise if France fail to fire. The Aussies take on France in their opening match and if they can take something from that, they’ll fancy their chances of beating Tunisia and possibly finishing in 2nd spot. That first game will be huge in terms of how this group unfolds and odds of 1.47 about France topping the table look a shade skinny given their injury worries.

Group D Prediction

1. Denmark
2. Australia
3. France
4. Tunisia

2022 Qatar World Cup: Group E

Team	Group Odds	Outright Odds	Star Player
Spain	2.00	10.00	Pedri
Costa Rica	51.00	1001.00	Keylor Navas
Germany	2.15	12.00	Kai Havertz
Japan	15.00	301.00	Junya Ito

Spain and Germany are the headline acts in Group E. Spain, champions in 2010, have undergone something of a revolution under Luis Enrique. It is all about the collective with Spain and it is difficult singling out a ‘star player.’ As we saw at the Euros, Enrique isn’t afraid to put his trust in youth and in Gavi and Pedri, he has two of the most promising talents in Europe. Inside forward/winger Ferran Torres has a decent scoring record (13/30) and with the likes of Pau Torres and Sergio Busquets adding defensive solidity, they have the look of real contenders to win it all.

Germany, on the other hand, are harder to fancy. It is always dangerous to write them off at major tournaments but their results have been worrying. They had a very ordinary Nations League, winning just one match and losing at home to Hungary. Yes, they breezed through a weak qualifying group but they’ve failed to keep a clean sheet in their last seven matches. They’ll need the likes of Havertz, Sane, Gnabry and Muller to produce plenty of goals if they are to make it through to the KO stages.

Tricky Japan

Japan are always a joy to watch at World Cups and they are tricky opponents. They have produced some seriously talented performers down through the years and they pushed Belgium all the way in 2018 when eventually losing 3-2 to a last minute Chadli goal. In Junya Ito they possess a winger with searing pace and fans of the Premier League will be well aware of what Brighton forward Mitoma is capable of. Arsenal man Tomiyasu is a key figure at the back and they’ll fancy their chances of making it through to the second round.

Costa Rica are another team with a history of outperforming expectations at World Cups. They shocked Scotland and Sweden at Italia 90 and in 2014 they went unbeaten in their Group, beating Italy and Uruguay and drawing 0-0 with England. They eventually went out on penalties in the quarter finals v Holland. The Costa Ricans have got a nice mix of youth and experience in their squad but they’ll need Keylor Navas to be at his very best if they are to reproduce previous heroics. However, this is a tough group and they might just come up a shade short.

Group E Prediction

1. Spain
2. Japan
3. Germany
4. Costa Rica

2022 Qatar World Cup: Group F

Team	Group Odds	Outright Odds	Star Player
Belgium	1.62	19.00	Kevin de Bruyne
Canada	13.00	351.00	Alphonso Davies
Morocco	12.00	301.00	Achraf Hakimi
Croatia	3.50	51.00	Luka Modric

Another group where a 1-2 for Europe looks likely on paper, though both Canada and Morocco have the potential to perhaps spring a surprise or two. Belgium’s ‘Golden Generation’ are getting on in years now and this is their last chance to deliver some major silverware under Roberto Marinez. They finished 3rd at the last World Cup where they knocked Brazil out in the quarter-finals. The spine of that team, Alderweireld, Witsel, De Bruyne and Lukaku are all four years older now and they’ve got a lot of miles on the clock.

The exact same sentiment could be applied to the beaten finalists in 2018, Croatia. Luka Modric isn’t showing any signs of slowing down but he is 37 now and it is a big ask for him to play a minimum of three huge games in just 8 days in the heat of the desert. They’ve got some promising younger players like Gvardiol and Stanisic but experienced players like Kovacic, Perisic, Vida and Lovren still play key roles. They should make it through the Group but they are unlikely to repeat their 2018 exploits.

New Manager

Morocco will be looking to Achraf Hakimi and Hakim Ziyech for inspiration. However, they come into the tournament with a new manager after Vahid Halilhodzic was sacked in August after falling out with the Moroccan Federation and also Hakim Ziyech. That is far from ideal preparation and new boss Walid Regragui hasn’t had much time to implement his ideas.

This will be Canada’s second ever World Cup appearance. They topped their group in qualifying and they play a decent brand of football. Their biggest weapon is pace and against ageing Croatian and Belgian defences, they look sure to cause plenty of problems. Bayern Munich man Alphonso Davies is their main man and they could be a surprise package.

Group F Prediction

1. Croatia
2. Canada
3. Belgium
4. Morocco

2022 Qatar World Cup: Group G

Team	Group Odds	Outright Odds	Star Player
Brazil	1.41	5.00	Neymar
Serbia	7.00	121.00	Dusan Vlahovic
Switzerland	7.00	126.00	Breel Embolo
Cameroon	21.00	401.00	Andre Anguissa

A very interesting group. Brazil are outright favourites and as ever, they have a star studded squad. Their defence is full of experience and they can call upon the likes of Casemiro, Bruno Guimaraes and Lucas Paqueta in midfield. Neymar remains the star man up top and he’ll be ably assisted by Vinicius Junior, Richarlison, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli. The biggest worry for Brazil is fatigue. They’ve got ten outfield players that ply their trade in the Premier League and it has been a crazy schedule in that league for the last couple of months.

Serbia are my idea of proper dark horses for this World Cup. Dragan Stojkovic has done a great job with them and after watching them twice vs Ireland and Portugal in the qualifiers, they are capable of causing any team problems. They have two top quality goalscorers in Vlahovic and Mitrovic and Tadic and Milinkovic-Savic will create plenty of chances for them. Both strikers have missed a few games with injury, which isn’t ideal, but if they can get out of this group with their key forwards fit, no team will fancy taking them on.

Steady Swiss

Switzerland are usually steady, if not spectacular, at major tournaments. They stunned France at the Euros before going out on penalties vs Spain. They managed to get out of their Group at the last World Cup, where they also took on Serbia and Brazil. The Swiss drew 1-1 with the Brazilians and a 2-1 win vs Serbia proved pivotal. They’ve got a solid spine with Akanji, Xhaka and Embolo and they look the biggest dangers to the Brazilians and Serbs.

African challengers Cameroon are not a bad outfit either. Rigobert Song has put together a strong, hardworking team and they’ve got creativity in midfield with Napoli man Anguissa. Up front Vincent Aboubakar is a big physical presence, as is Bayern Munich striker Chupo-Moting. However, they lack a bit of experience at the back and against this level of opposition, that could be their downfall.

Group G Prediction

1. Brazil
2. Serbia
3. Switzerland
4. Cameroon

2022 Qatar World Cup: Group H

Team	Group Odds	Outright Odds	Star Player
Portugal	1.73	17.00	Bernardo Silva
Ghana	14.00	401.00	Thomas Partey
Uruguay	3.00	51.00	Federico Valverde
South Korea	14.00	301.00	Son Heung-min

Portugal are odds on to win this Group. However, having watched them multiple times in the qualifiers, they could be vulnerable. Fernando Santos continues to play Ronaldo up front and he is a shadow of what he once was. The entire gameplan boils down to creating chances for him and he doesn’t take as many as he used to.

His lack of running and pressing means an increased workload for Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva to cover for him when out of possession and that usually has a detrimental effect on their own attacking play. Portugal have loads of top quality players but they don’t utilise them in the most effective way. Instead, it remains all about Ronaldo and that could cost them dearly.

Uruguay are a proud footballing nation and they almost always deliver at major tournaments. They’ve got an experienced defence, quality in midfield and the unpredictable Nunez up front. Suarez and Cavani, both 35 now, are included and expect them to play important roles off the bench. Valverde and Betancur would get into most international teams and they are more than capable of winning this Group.

Injury Worry

South Korea come into this tournament with fitness concerns around Son Heung-min. The Spurs striker has suffered a facial injury and it remains to be seen how much of an effect it has on his game. In 2018 they lost narrowly to Sweden and Mexico before beating Germany 2-0. Paulo Bento can call on most of the players that were involved in 2018 and that experience should stand to them.

Ghana complete Group H and they look to be the weakest of the African nations. They flopped at AFCON, failing to win a game. They narrowly edged out Nigeria on away goals to qualify. Their form has improved in the AFCON qualifiers but heavy friendly defeats to Brazil and Japan show where they are right now. The Ayew brothers, Inaki Williams and Thomas Partey will be key to their chances but they will most likely come up short.

Group H Prediction

1. Uruguay
2. South Korea
3. Portugal
4. Ghana

2022 Qatar World Cup – Outright Winner

Our tipster Jan Keys fancies Spain to win the World Cup at 10.00 and he could well be right. At the Euros you could see that Luis Enrique was building something and his bravery in going with youth could now pay dividends. They’ve got some incredibly talented young guns like Pedri and Gavi and Ferran Torres has a good goalscoring record at international level.

The compressed nature of the 2022 Qatar World Cup will be more suited to fresher, younger legs and the fact that Spain only have three outfield Premier League players is a positive. The intensity of that league, week in, week out, means that those at the top EPL clubs (who are also playing in Europe) will be feeling fatigued before the tournament even starts. Spain’s possession based tactics will also help in that department and they are on a decent side of the draw. At odds of 10.50, they look a more than fair price.

2022 Qatar World Cup Tip: 1 pt Spain to win the World Cup @ 10.50 William Hill.

If you are looking for a ‘dark horse,’ Serbia at 125/1 look a bit overpriced. Yes, the fact that Mitrovic and Vlahovic are carrying injuries into the tournament isn’t ideal but they’ve also got Luka Jovic and the fact that they don’t play Brazil in their opener until the 24th of November means that Mitrovic and Vlahovic have a bit more time to regain fitness.

The Serbian midfield is packed with talent. Stojkovic can pick from Tadic, Milinkovic-Savic, Ilic, Kostic and Gudelj and he usually goes with a 3-4-1-2 formation, with Tadic in behind the two front men. Serbia play slick, attacking football and once they don’t freeze on the big stage, they are more than capable of getting through the Group stages. In the last 16 they could possibly face either Portugal, South Korea or Uruguay, three sides they will fancy their chances against. After that things get harder but this team has lots of goals in them, hopefully they can make it all the way to the final.

2022 Qatar World Cup Tip: 0.5 pt e/w Serbia to win the World Cup @ 126.0 Unibet

Top Scorer

Harry Kane took home the Golden Boot in 2018 and he is fav to repeat the trick. However, England were bang out of form in the Nations League and given how Southgate sets up his team, it is hard to see them scoring a lot of goals. Lionel Messi has enjoyed an upturn in form at PSG this season and Argentina have Saudi Arabia in their group so they could rack up a big score in that match. He’s only around 10s though and at much bigger odds, maybe Ferran Torres can give us a run for our money.

We don’t want to have too many eggs in the Spanish basket but at the prices, Torres can’t be ignored. He has already got a decent scoring record for Spain, netting 13 in 30 appearances. He was Spain’s top scorer in the qualifiers with 4 goals in 6 starts and while he has only started 8 times for Barcelona this season, he has scored 6 goals. In the hope that Spain go far and he starts every match, Ferran Torres is worth backing e/w for the Golden Boot at odds of 50/1.

2022 Qatar World Cup Tip: 0.5 pt e/w Ferran Torres to be top scorer @ 50/1 (4 places B365)

Side Bets

There is usually a surprise or two in the Group stages at World Cups. Germany crashed out early on in 2018 and they could be vulnerable again. However, France come into the tournament minus their two key midfielders Pogba and Kante and there’s real concerns about Karim Benzema and Rafa Varane’s fitness too. As we saw at the Euros, the atmosphere off the pitch in the French camp was pretty toxic, with Adrien Rabot’s mother front and centre, and that is never helpful.

France take on Australia in their opener and it could be tricky. The Aussies will see this as a shot to nothing and they’ll have a right go. If France fail to win that, they’ll be under massive pressure going into their second game vs Denmark, a team that beat them 2-0 in the Nations League. They do, of course, have Kylian Mbappe and he might help to paper over the cracks. However, he didn’t produce at the Euros and if the same thing happens in Qatar, Les Bleus could be heading for an early exit.

2022 Qatar World Cup Tip: 0.5 pt France not to qualify @ 8.50 Paddy Power

Another European ‘Giant’ that might be vulnerable is Portugal. Having watched them closely in the qualifiers, this is a team that is less than the sum of its parts. It is all about one man, Cristiano Ronaldo, and as we have seen at Manchester United this season, his best days are behind him.

However, as his interview with Piers Morgan illustrated, Ronaldo doesn’t believe he is in decline so he’ll be starting every match and Fernando Santos isn’t the type to take him off. If he does, there’ll be another major meltdown on the cards.

The fact that a team like Ireland were able to get to within 3 minutes of beating Portugal in Faro and then draw with them in Dublin is worrying. They’ve got an abundance of talent with the likes of Bruno, Cancelo, Bernardo Silva, Palhinha, Nunes, Rafa Leao and Joao Felix but still, they struggle to dominate and control games.

Ronaldo has scored 5 in his last 10 matches for Portugal but all the goals came in two matches (3 vs Luxembourg, 2 vs Switzerland) so he has failed to score in 8 of his last 10. Maybe he has one big tournament left in him but on the evidence of the last few months, it is hard to be confident that he does. At odds of 5.00, back Portugal not to qualify from Group G.

2022 Qatar World Cup: 1 pt Portugal not to qualify @ 5.00 multiple firms

TXMarkets Team’s World Cup Outright Tips

In our Euros preview, our OCI expert Kelly tipped up Italy to win at 13.00. Kelly, and the rest of our team, are back with more outright tips for the World Cup. Kelly has backed Argentina to win outright at 11.00 but he thinks the value is gone from them now. He does have another 11.00 fancy though. Hopefully our team can find you a winner or two.

Kelly	Costa Rica to score the least goals @ 11.00
John	Serbia e/w to win the World Cup @ 126.00 Canada to qualify from Group F @ 4.00
Thomas	Spain to win the World Cup @ 10.00
Trev	France to win the World Cup @ 7.50
Jason	USA to win Group B @ 6.50 USA to reach the 1/4 finals @ 11.00

 -DaveStevos