Updated 2018 World Cup Odds

When the 2018 World Cup opened in Russia, there were 32 teams squaring off for the most storied trophy in soccer. The group play round produced some shocks, such as Germany failing to advance to the knockout rounds for the first time in 80 years, Russia making it out of group play, and Mexico benefiting from an unbelievable finish by South Korea in their group play finale. Denmark also emerged from group play for the first time in decades. Then came the round of 16, which saw the unthinkable, as Russia eliminated Spain on penalty kicks, while England ended a lengthy drought of penalty-kick wins as they recovered from permitting an extra-time goal to Colombia and advanced to the quarterfinals. Let’s look at the latest 2018 World Cup odds as they sit now going into quarterfinal action, slated to begin on Friday.

Your #WorldCup quarter-final line-up is complete! #URUFRA #BRABEL #SWEENG #RUSCRO #URU #FRA #BRA #BEL #SWE #ENG #RUS #CRO pic.twitter.com/LKhUP0XNeC
— FIFA World Cup 🏆 (@FIFAWorldCup) July 3, 2018

Odds to Win the World Cup

Brazil 9/4
France 4/1
England 4/1
Belgium 5/1
Croatia 11/2
Uruguay 14/1
Russia 20/1
Sweden 25/1

It’s more than a little odd to see Russia anywhere but the bottom of this list. Their win over Spain said a lot more about Spain’s inability to put together a cohesive attack than it did about Russia, which basically sat back in a defensive shell and pushed the counter when possible. Spain’s goal came on an own goal by a set piece; at halftime, they didn’t have a shot on target. Russia’s goal came on spot kick resulting from a boneheaded handball in the box by Spain, and Spain simply lacked the patience and persistence to break down that Russian defense. England has a great path to the final — all they have to do is get by Sweden and then the winner of Croatia and Russia. However, remember that Croatia swept their group, showing terrific offense, and then eliminated Denmark, a team known for grinding defense, on penalty kicks. Brazil ran circles around Mexico, but they have a tough matchup coming against a quick, young Belgium team has to take on a balanced Uruguay team that swept group play and then eliminated a one-dimensional Portugal side. If I’m looking for some value, I’m taking Uruguay here, as their duo of Suarez and Cavani will make things tough for opposing teams. I was leaning toward Belgium until they dug a 2-0 hole for themselves against Japan. A team like Brazil, who they face next, will not let them out of such a deficit like Japan did.

Odds to Reach the Semifinals

Uruguay (+170) vs France (-200)
Brazil (-180) vs Belgium (+150)
Sweden (+210) vs England (-260)
Russia (+150) vs Croatia (-180)

France did look strong in eliminating Argentina, but remember that Argentina is an aging roster with a bunch of pieces stacked around Messi. They almost didn’t even make the World Cup and barely crawled out of group play. Uruguay’s win over Portugal was more impressive, and I’m taking Uruguay to advance. As mentioned earlier, Croatia shouldn’t have any problems with Russia, and I don’t see Belgium having the discipline to stay with Brazil. Belgium has more offensive weapons than any of the other seven teams remaining in this World Cup, but those problems on the back end could come back to bite them. While Brazil has not shown a lot of finishing prowess in this Cup, a couple of Belgian mistakes could change that in a hurry. That Sweden-England line is somewhat interesting, given how little offense England showed against Colombia. England spent a lot of time trying to build pressure but kept giving the ball away in the Colombian third, taking the extra pass instead of sending shots at the net. Sweden knocked off a Switzerland team that has more offensive weapons than England, and while I don’t see the Swedes winning this whole thing, they have a real shot to end the Three Lions’ run here.

Updated 2018 World Cup Odds – July 4th Edition