Top 5 Betting Underdogs for the 2018 World Cup

We’re less than two weeks away from the first games in the 2018 World Cup from Russia, so it’s definitely time to start planning your sports betting for this quadrennial showcase in international soccer. Interested in the five favorites? Check out our article on Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Spain and France that went up earlier today — but if you want to place some value betting on the 2018 World Cup champions, take a look at our insights on the top five underdogs.

Top 5 Betting Underdogs for the 2018 World Cup

2018 World Cup Odds for Each Team

• Brazil, Germany                                             9/2
• France                                                             11/2
• Spain                                                               6/1
• Argentina                                                         9/1
• Belgium                                                           11/1
• England                                                           16/1
• Portugal, Uruguay                                          25/1
• Croatia                                                            28/1
• Colombia                                                         33/1
• Poland, Russia                                                50/1
• Denmark, Mexico, Switzerland                       100/1
• Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal, Serbia, Sweden      150/1
• Peru                                                                200/1
• Iceland, Japan                                                250/1
• Costa Rica, Morocco                                      300/1
• South Korea                                                    400/1
• Australia, Iran                                                  500/1
• Tunisia                                                             750/1
• Panama, Saudi Arabia                                    1000/1

Portugal, once again, brings the Cristiano Ronaldo factor. His Real Madrid club finished way behind Barcelona in La Liga, but he has found his star form in the last half of the season. During qualification, he lit up opponents’ nets for 15 tallies, which is a huge total in a difficult European confederation. There are also some terrific young players on this team, such as Joao Cancelo and Andre Silva. Belgium sit just outside the favorites in this odds table, but the Red Devils have three players who are all in their prime, not just in terms of athleticism but in terms of their approach to the game, in Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne. They eliminated the United States in the Round of 16 down in Brazil, but then they lost in the quarterfinals — and they also lost in the quarters at Euro 2016. Their group is not particularly challenging, containing England, Tunisia and Panama, so they should glide out of that group on top and have a second-place opponent in the Round of 16 once again. Can they keep pushing to the trophy? England enter this World Cup with virtually no expectations. Yes, they have Harry Kane, but other than that, this is not a team that is stocked with elite players. However, in friendlies against Italy, the Netherlands, Brazil and Germany, England have played competitive soccer. This could be the sort of no-pressure campaign that sends the Three Lions deep into the tournament. Uruguay have won the World Cup twice, but this time they are significant underdogs. They have three fourth-place finishes in addition to their two titles. In CONMEBOL qualification, they were the runners-up to Brazil, ahead of Argentina, who almost missed the Cup entirely. They have Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez, one of the best strikers in the world. Croatia rolled to a third-place finish in France back in 1998, but they haven’t made it to the knockout rounds since 2010. They also needed a playoff win to make it to Russia after getting edged by Iceland in the qualification rounds. They have Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona) and Luka Modric (Real Madrid), giving them two elite players. However, the rest of their roster droops a bit, making them a real underdog. If you want to look even further down the odds table, consider Senegal. They beat France in the Round of 16 in 2002 and made it to the quarterfinals, and many prognosticators view them as the most likely to make some noise in Russia. Egypt bring attacker Mohamed Salah, who has torched opposing defenses in the English Premier League. Can he rally his team around him? Then we have Iceland, who are in their first World Cup ever. They rolled to the quarterfinals of Euro 2016, upsetting England in the round of 16 before taking a 5-2 drubbing from France. As great a story as Iceland represents, though, great stories rarely make it even to the semifinals of the World Cup.