The 2022 World Cup will be the first to be hosted both in the Middle East and during the winter in the Northern Hemisphere, taking place in the Gulf nation of Qatar from November 20 to December 18. The first game will be played on November 20 at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor between Qatar and Ecuador, and the championship game will be played on December 18 in Lusail. The Gambler provides all the information you need to know about soccer’s top honor so you can step up your soccer betting.
How World Cup 2022 Works
32 teams will be split up into eight groups of four, using the same structure as the 2018 World Cup. The top two teams in each group advance to the round of 16, which is followed by four one-legged knockout rounds. Every game will be covered at some of South Africa’s top sites, providing numerous chances for sports wagering.
This year, a few well-known sides failed to qualify. Italy, the winner of Euro 2020, will miss the World Cup for a second time after losing to North Macedonia in the opening round of UEFA play-offs. Chile and Colombia were omitted by CONMEBOL. Canada is participating for the first time since 1986, while Iran may be the most unexpected qualifier from the AFC sector! Iran and Canada both have huge outsider odds of 251.00.
World Cup 2022 Group Betting Tips
Group A – Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands
The Netherlands are the highest-ranked team in the group and are much favored to win group A, despite the fact that they did not make it to the previous World Cup in Russia.
Group B – England, Iran, USA, Wales
FIFA allocated spots for Scotland, Wales, and Ukraine in Pot 4. Wales’ victory over Ukraine in the playoff was a great day for them. Is it going to return home? The team with the highest seed in Group B, England, is the favorite to win. In Qatar, the USA may draw from a huge pool of promising young prospects!
Group D – France, Australia, Denmark, Tunisia
With both teams boasting an astounding amount of skill, it would come as a huge shock if either France or Denmark failed to advance to the knockout rounds. Australia earned qualification in an intercontinental play-off, but Tunisia is a lower-ranked team. The Socceroos have only ever advanced past the round of 16, while the former have never advanced past the group round.
Group E – Spain, Costa Rica, Germany, Japan
This category has a lot of well-known football players. Both Spain and Germany have won the World Cup in the past twelve years. Japan and Costa Rica will try to capitalize on any potential mistakes made by the two European superpowers. While Costa Rica defeated a group that contained England, Uruguay, and Italy in 2014, Japan won seven of their eleven games in 2022.
Group G – Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon
In Brazil, there might be a clear favorite to win Group G! Serbia was undefeated in qualification and won a group that featured Portugal. Players like Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Dusan Tadic, and Dusan Vlahovic are hoping to advance far in the event. Cameroon finished AFCON this year in a respectable third position.
Group H – Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea
While South Korea hasn’t progressed past the group stage since 2010, Ghana is Qatar’s lowest-ranked squad and has only won one game in 2022! The presence of youthful players could help Portugal go to deeper stages even though many of their aging stars are playing in their final World Cup.
World Cup 2022 Dark Horses
Belgium
Belgium was able to defeat Brazil in the 2018 World Cup, demonstrating their ability to compete on a large scale. With multiple strikers in the peak of their careers, Belgium has a strong attacking lineup in this event. Top world cup betting odds are available at Betway and Hollywoodbets, the biggest sportsbooks in South Africa. Take advantage of the fantastic soccer betting odds and exclusive promos by signing up right away!
Spain
Spain can never be dismissed in a World Cup. They are still a very powerful team even though they aren’t as good as they were in previous years. With several bookies putting Spain at 9.00 or more, they make for an extremely alluring underdog wager.
England
England’s performance in 2018—when they advanced to the World Cup semifinals—was their greatest in many years. England has struggled on the big stage despite having a good team in the past, but they can be dangerous now that they have a team of youthful players.
Where to bet on World Cup 2022 as a South African
There are several South African betting sites that we recommend for your betting, all of them will offer prematch and inplay betting, and several have welcome deposit bonuses for new players to take advantage of.
