The World Cup kicks off Thursday when host Russia faces Saudi Arabia and 30 other teams take to the pitch in pursuit of the world’s most coveted trophy. And though the odds on the favorites — Brazil and Germany — have changed little, plenty of betting opportunities abound.
Brazil is still the favorite at +400, with Germany next at +475.
With these odds hardly moving in the days leading up to Russia 2018’s opening kickoff, finding a team that could challenge for the title might be difficult. Most soccer fans will find better opportunity placing World Cup prop bets.
The World Cup has more side bets available than any sporting event other than the Super Bowl. With 32 teams, the possibilities are abundant. Below are some of the more routine and exotic options at the betting window prop bettors gamblers can make.
Standard World Cup Prop Bets
One of the most popular is who will win the Golden Boot, awarded to the player who has the most goals at end of the competition. Usually the winner is one who’s team goes deep in the tournament. Only once did a player win it who didn’t make it past the group stages.
Sportsbooks have Argentina’s Lionel Messi the Vegas favorite at 8-1 to score the most goals in Russia, followed by France’s Antoine Griezmann at 9-1 and Brazil’s Neymar at 10-1.
The Golden Ball is given to the outstanding player in the World Cup and is voted on by the media. The format is very similar to the MVP of the major professional sports championships are decided. A committee presents a list of contenders and the media in attendance chose from that list.
Messi is also the favorite to capture that honor 8/1. Neymar is at 9/1 and Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal is at 14/1.
Another way to bet the competition is choosing what country will come out of a specific group. There are four teams in each group and two will advance to the knockout round.
One bet is who will win their group. Brazil is the biggest favorite to win Group E at -400. Switzerland, Serbia, and Costa Rica are in the same group.
The second way to bet is to pick which team will advance to the next round. In Group A, Uruguay is a -500 to advance, Russia is next at -325, and then Eygpt at +140, and Saudi Arabia at +900.
Another possibility is to pick a team that won’t advance. In Group B Iran and Morocco are not expected to move on and are heavy favorites at -1000 and -500.
Russia 2018 Exotics
For those who want a little more unique action, the internet sportsbooks have numerous options. One is how many red cards will be handed out.
The over/under line is set at 10.5. Last year the total was 10. One trend worth noting is that the number of red cards has been declining in the last three events. In 2006 28 red cards were handed out, and in 2010 there were 17 dealt.
Another bet available is how many own goals will be scored. The record for knocking the ball in your own net is six, set in 1998 at the World Cup in France. The over/under is set at 4.5.
Wagering on how many goals will be scored is also on the board. The favorite is 155 or fewer at +150. The next is 156-165 at +200, 166-175 at +333, and 176 or more at +700. Last year there were 171 goals.
