USA Sportsbook Favorite as Women’s World Cup Reaches Knockout Rounds

Posted on: June 22, 2019, 01:00h. 

Last updated on: June 21, 2019, 08:39h.

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Expertise: Commercial Gaming.

A dominant group stage performance by the United States has made it the clear team to beat heading into the knockout rounds of the Women’s World Cup.

Women’s World Cup odds
The United States remains the favorite to win the Women’s World Cup after a 2-0 victory over Sweden on Thursday. (Image: Getty)

With 16 teams remaining in the competition, FanDuel Sportsbook in New Jersey has the USA as the +175 favorite to win the tournament, ahead of host France (+370).

USA Faces Spain on Monday

The USA scored 18 goals over its first three games without conceding a single score, wrapping up first place in Group F on Thursday with a 2-0 win over Sweden.

“I don’t think the first two games sent too many messages, they weren’t great teams to be honest,” American midfielder Megan Rapinoe said after the match with Sweden. “We have a big target on our back already. I don’t know how much bigger it can get.”

As a result, the Americans will face Spain on Monday in the Round of 16. Spain finished second in Group B with four points, beating South Africa, but losing to Germany and drawing China. The USA is a prohibitive favorite in that matchup, with FanDuel listing it as a -300 pick to win in regulation.

While France also won its group with a perfect 3-0 record, it received a slightly trickier opponent for the first round of the knockout stage. They’ll be playing Brazil, which won two games but still finished a surprising third in Group C behind Italy and Australia on tiebreakers.

Women’s World Cup Favorites Could Meet in Quarterfinals

The Brazilians are a dangerous side, with legendary forward Marta still capable of creating magic at age 33. But France has the more talented side and home field advantage, which is why they’re listed at -240 to win in the opening 90 minutes.

If both the USA and France can get by their respective opponents, the two tournament favorites will meet in what could be the match of the tournament in the quarterfinals on June 28 in Paris. But while many people will look at that game as a de facto championship, there are other sides that will have something to say about the outcome of the Women’s World Cup before all is said and done.

Perhaps the most prominent of the other contenders is Germany, which is listed at +650 to lift the trophy. The Germans weren’t exactly a steamroller in Group B, but they did go 3-0, maintaining their position among the top teams in the tournament. Germany (-600) also received what appears to be a fairly soft matchup against Nigeria (+1100) in the Round of 16.

Also in the mix is England. The Lionesses won all three of their Group D matches to easily qualify for the knockout stage, where they’ll face off against Cameroon in the Round of 16. While the Cameroonians have been one of the tournament’s surprises so far, England is a -850 favorite to get by them and through to the quarterfinal, and a +700 pick to go all the way and win its first Women’s World Cup.

While the winner is likely to come from one of the top four teams, the relatively deep field this year does include a number of dark horses who could put together a run at the title. The Netherlands (+1400), Australia (+1800), Canada (+2200), and Japan (+2200) are all capable of beating anyone on the right day, while Italy (+2900) has been surprisingly impressive so far in France.