The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will be the biggest global sporting event of the year, with 32 countries facing off for the FIFA World Cup Trophy. There will be a large legal and regulated betting market in the U.S., so we tell you everything you need to know about betting on the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
After a grueling qualification campaign that was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 FIFA World Cup field is officially settled. Thirty-two teams from across the globe will battle it out in the grandest sports tournament.
This will be the first World Cup played in the Arab world and the first played outside of the months of May, June, or July. It will also be the final World Cup played under the current 32-team format as the tournament will expand to 48 teams starting in 2026.
Below, we track everything you need to know about the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Be sure to check back to this page for all of our picks and analysis on the tournament.
The stage is set. We now know the final 32 teams that are heading to #Qatar2022. 🤩
Who will lift the #FIFAWorldCup? 🏆 pic.twitter.com/SajfjpmnAx
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 14, 2022
Records for FIFA World Cup groups B & C during June window 🔥
Who will top their group in Qatar ?đź‘€ pic.twitter.com/Ic6ykMjzi2
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 18, 2022
The tournament will be played in Qatar across eight different stadiums. Half of these stadiums are located in Doha, the capital city of Qatar.
The World Cup will start on Nov. 21 when Senegal takes on the Netherlands in Group A play. The final will be played on Sunday, Dec. 18 at the Lusail Iconic Stadium.
Each day of the group stage will have four games played, with games scheduled at 5 a.m. ET, 8 a.m. ET, 11 a.m. ET, and 2 p.m. ET. Knockout stage games will be scheduled at either 10 a.m. ET or 2 p.m. ET and the final will be played at 10 a.m. ET.
Thirty-two teams are drawn into eight groups of four, with each team playing the others in their group once. The top two teams in each advance to the knockout round. The tournament is then single elimination from then on, with the games going to a penalty shootout if teams are tied after full time and extra time.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup will be broadcasted on FOX and FS1 in the United States. Twenty-nine matches will be on FS1 and 35 will be on FOX, including the final on Dec. 18.
France won the 2018 World Cup in Russia, defeating Croatia 4-2 in the final to claim the country’s second World Cup victory. Antoine Griezmann was named Man of the Match, and the six goals scored combined were the most in a final since 1966. Midfielder Luka Modric of Croatia won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s top player.
The tournament featured a number of shocking results. Defending champions Germany failed to make it out of Group F, favorites Brazil lost in the quarterfinal, and Spain lost to host Russia in the Round of 16. Argentina barely made it out of Group D and was promptly bounced in the Round of 16 by eventual champions France.
France were +650 to win the tournament prior to the start, the fourth shortest odds to win the tournament behind Brazil, Germany, and Spain. Croatia were priced at +3300 pre-tournament.
In addition to the traditional Moneyline, Over/Under, spread, and player prop bets for individual games, there are unique future markets for the FIFA World Cup.
To bet on the group winner is to bet on who will finish first in group play. The most points a team can finish with is nine points.
The current teams with the shortest odds to win their group at DraftKings Sportsbook are England and Argentina, priced at -300 to win Group B and C, respectively.
There is a market for simply qualifying from the group stage, although at reduced odds than winning the group. For example, Portugal is -150 to win Group H but -600 to qualify from the group at Caesars Sportsbook.
Similar to betting on a team to win a conference in the NFL, NHL, or NBA, you can bet on teams to reach the final of the World Cup.
This market closely follows the outright winner market. The current favorite is Brazil at +200 at DraftKings.
If betting on a team to reach the final isn’t your thing, you can instead bet on a team qualifying for either the quarterfinal or the semi-final. Your bet will cash as soon as they qualify, regardless of if they win that game or not. Currently, only Caesars is offering these markets.
You can also bet on which specific stage of the tournament a team will be knocked out of at the World Cup, whether that is the group stage, Round of 16, quarterfinals, semi-finals, or the final itself.
PointsBet currently has the most complete market at the time of writing, featuring nine of the possible 32 teams. More sportsbooks including PointsBet will have more markets available as we get closer to the start of the tournament.
The Golden Boot award is given to the top goalscorer of the FIFA World Cup. You can usually find it as top goalscorer on most sportsbooks. Penalties scored in penalty shootouts do not count towards this award, only those scored during the course of a game.
The reigning winner is England’s Harry Kane and he is currently the favorite to win this award again at DraftKings at +600. PointsBet currently offers him at +700.
Here are our top-rated sportsbooks:
SEE ALSO: All picks and odds. Be sure to check out SportsbookReview.com’s community forums and betting tools.
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